The grape harvest has concluded in the Rueda Designation of Origin, with a total of 124,534,401 kg of grapes approved for picking. The grapes were in perfect health and the forecast is for better-structured wines that are better in the mouth than in previous years.
The harvest began on the night of 27 August with the Sauvignon Blanc variety, characterised by a shorter vegetative cycle and earlier ripening. Harvesting the Verdejo variety began a week later, on 2 September, in accordance with the indications of ripeness in each plot. As always, a balance was sought between alcohol content and acidity. “This year’s harvest has taken place in good conditions. We had two short stops for rain, but that’s also part of the process,” said Jesus Díez de Íscar, technical director of D.O. Rueda. “The important thing is that grape quality is very good and the wine now being made is very intense. They are even better structured and better in the mouth than in previous years,” he said.
The harvest was completed in the Rueda Designation of Origin with a total of 124,534,401 kg of grapes approved for picking. Of those, 123,813,474 kg were white grapes. The native Verdejo variety represented 87.05% of the total white grapes, with 107,788,941 kilos.
“I think 2022 is going to be a very important year for our wines, as we aim to position products bearing the Gran Vino Rueda label on the market,” said Carmen San Martín, chair of the Designation of Origin.
2021 harvest
This year’s harvest was carried out by 1,659 winegrowers and covered a registered area of 20,611.05 hectares. Of this, 97.97% (20,193.70 ha) corresponds to white varieties, and 87.76% of that area (17,722.06 ha) is taken up by Verdejo. Twelve auxiliaries were hired and, together with the Regulating Board’s seven inspectors, they carried out the checks required to ensure that the harvest process went smoothly.
Press Release_2021GRAPE HARVEST IS COMPLETED.