The ripening of the grapes after the good temperatures that have prevailed in Galicia since the second half of July begins the harvest season. “The most beautiful time of the year“, as some winegrowers who have already started the harvest since the end of August point out, although it will be from this week that the majority of winegrowers will begin the collection of this precious raw material in all the Designations of Origin (DO). Galician.
A campaign in which the optimism and good results in the quality of the grapes thanks to the good climatic conditions, while waiting for the good weather to also accompany the harvest so as not to harm a “historical” vintage for designations of origin such as Valedeorras, Moterrei and Rías Baixas. It is still early to guess the result in the case of the DO Ribeiro, in which this week that begins will be the most appropriate to start the harvest, while waiting to know in detail the results of the measurement of the quality of the grapes.
Surplus from other years
Despite the good condition of the vines, the general trend in the regions is that production is maintained or even reduced compared to previous campaigns. In the case of the DO Ribeira Sacra, where the harvest has also begun, there are still few wineries that have started and have a surplus of stock from recent years after two very prolific campaigns. Idevastated by the pandemic and the drop in consumption which prevented the sale of the entire production. A surplus that will limit the marketing of the new vintage, after having recorded in 2019 “the largest harvest in its history”, said the president of the regulatory council of the DO, Antonio Lombardía.
A problem that the Union of Small Farmers and Livestock Farmers (UPA) has also accused, in addition to the effects of climate change, which represents a pressure on the profitability of an economic activity that is part of 40% of the municipalities of Spain and 2% of the Spanish GDP, with more than 2% of the jobs in the country. This was highlighted in the balance sheet of the 2024 harvest presented last Thursday, where it was specified that the winegrowers “They can withstand the onslaught of climate change, but not the onslaught of the market“.
“Historic and ideal” harvests
But in Valdeorras, the first to start the 2024 harvest, the harvest is expected to be “historic and ideal”, with a “a more gradual maturation than last year”in the words of Santiago Pérez, technician of the DO, who highlights the good climate and the hard work of the winegrowers to prevent the appearance of diseases such as mildew or powdery mildew.
A vintage that also marks the 50th anniversary of the Recovery Plan (Restructuring of the Valdeorras Vineyards), “the plan that changed our winemaking and which, among other things, recovered the Godello grape for Valdeorras and for the world“, stressed the president of the DO, José Ramón Rodríguez Castellanos. The results of the first measurements indicate an “ideal degree of alcohol and acidity”, which suggests that the results will be “exceptional”, with a wine “better than ever”, added Pérez.
The general director of the DO Rías Baixas, Ramón Huidobro, expresses the same sense, where the first harvest works have also begun after a year with a longer maturation cycle due to the cold. While waiting for the bulk of the harvest to begin this week, Huidobro emphasizes that, from what is already entering the winery, we can see “Very aromatic musts, with very healthy grapes”. Although they also told him that the bunches weigh less, which suggests a lower production compared to the previous year, but “it is still too early to know,” concludes the general manager.
In the DO Monterrei, the good quality of the grapes, “with an excellent phytosanitary status”, coincides with a good quantity of production, which will increase this campaign thanks to the increase in hectares registered the previous year, as indicated by its technical director, Miguel López. bet on white grapesa, which already represents 70% of the harvest of this DO, with the production of red wine, offers good results according to López. “If the grapes are good, it makes us think that the wine will be good too,” adds the technical director of the DO, who hopes that the rains will not affect the good maturation of the vines during this harvest season.
Rise of the gangs
Another phenomenon, increasingly common in the wineries of the DO Rías Baixas and the rest of the regions, is the increase in the number of crews that come to Galicia during the harvest season to work at this time of year. Groups that usually do not exceed ten members and that allow the grapes to be harvested in time before the difficulties that arise year after year when it comes to finding local staff to practice a profession that attracts fewer and fewer young people.
Javier Peláez, owner and general manager of the family winery Marquis of Vijojapoints out that the winemakers open the lists of employees from the first day of August and that years ago the positions were filled in a few days. In their case, they managed to recruit between 200 and 280 day laborers, an increasingly difficult task, which led them to place posters offering jobs in the villages near the winery, located in the municipality of Pontevedra, Arbo, at the foot of the Miño River.
An enclave where the high temperature combines with the temperament of the river, which adds an essential freshness for a “spectacular maturation” according to Peláez. The owner hopes that this will be the case “one of the best years in the field”with a slightly smaller volume but of good quality, facilitated by the proximity between the farm and the winery, just a few meters away. They are therefore waiting for the moment when the first wines of the harvest will reach the public, without ceasing to enjoy the “most beautiful time of the year”, in the words of the owner of the Marqués de Vizhoja winery.
