The Rain In Spain Didn’t Make A Difference

Difficult to generalise with a small sample of growers but perceived as a small but excellent vintage.

Bodegas Urbina (La Rioja Alta)

“Great wines of high quality can be expected from this vintage, especially for ageing in barrel and bottle”.

The growth cycle was long this year and the harvest was particularly long and selective- this benefits fruit quality and makes the work in the winery much easier. Harvest began on October 10th and ended on October 28th.  The grapes arrived at the bodega optimally ripe, with a good balance between the various parameters: alcohol content, polyphenols and acidity.

This vintage’s dormant period was marked by low rainfall, dry weather and normal frost in December and January, while temperatures were relatively high in February. Bleeding began but was paralysed in mid-March, by a sharp drop in temperatures and abundant precipitation of both rain and snow. Bud-burst began vigorously in the second week of April.

Spring rain was abundant throughout the region, with high temperatures that advanced canopy development, but which also prompted several outbreaks of mildew in leaves and clusters due to the ideal environmental conditions for the development of this fungus.  However, in general terms, the vineyards remained fairly well- protected and the consequences for production were not serious.

Overall setting was complete by the last week of June, accompanied by low temperatures and the absence of rain. Cluster counts and size figures pointed to a lower potential production than the previous year for both red and white grape varieties. There was no rain in July and the temperatures were moderate.

At the beginning of August only some Tempranillo vineyards had veraison counts; the Garnacha berries had also started veraison but this grape variety was about 7- 10 days behind the previous years. This widespread delay continued until the end of August, with almost no thunderstorms throughout the month and lower-than-normal temperatures, both day and night.

Vine health and canopy development in late August was very satisfactory, pointing to a good quality harvest.

During the first half of September the weather was perfect and helped advance the ripening significantly, with a good balance between alcoholic and phenolic development.  Harvest began on October 10th.  Colder weather resulted in a slower and better ripening and selective harvest, a trait that would prevail right to the end.

Bodegas Terras Gauda (Rias Baixas, Galicia, North-Western Spain)

“Good temperatures and virtually no rain during flowering led to correct fruit development.  The rest of spring was very unstable, with persistent rainfall and great temperature oscillations.  The beginning of the summer was fresh ( habitual in our region, which caused a slow maturation of the grape.  From the 25th August until and during the harvest, we saw a dramatic increase in temperature and many hours of sunshine and clear skies, which brought about a correct ripening of all the grape varieties. Because of the weather conditions during spring, we had to maximise our vigilance for mildew; we suffered several attacks of this fungus with which we dealt swiftly and effectively, so grapes were harvested in good health.”

Mildew affects the Albarino grapes more than the Loureiro or the Caino Blanco. Finally, the sunshine and warm temperatures in September and the beginning of October resulted in excellent ripening and balance in all the grape varieties.  “Although the Caino Blanco really stood out for its perfect balance, the harvest was comfortable and really positive: grapes arrived in a good sanitary condition- correct balance between sugar and tartaric and malic acids, due to the slow maturation. “The wines show a great fruity, aromatic intensity developing the varietal qualities of each grape; in the mouth the wines are balanced, round with a fresh and lively acidity, wrapped by a great glyceric content which brings a silky taste and length to the wines”