Vineyard health conditions are very good and the expected production is lower than last year because of the lack of rain and the hot temperatures during the summer.
Wineries of the D.O. Rueda have begun the Harvest of the Sauvignon Blanc which is the first varietal to be picked because its vegetative cycle is shorter and has an earlier ripening than the other varieties.
The first grapes were picked on the past 29th of August. Moreover, it will become gradually widespread when the wineries decide that the alcohol and acidity levels are aprropiate.
The area of vineyards registered in the Rueda D.O. for this vintage is 12,826 ha. (242 ha. more than the previous campaign), being 12,135 ha. of white varieties (95%), among which dominates the local variety Verdejo with 12,255 ha of them. The 92% of the Verdejo grape is wire-trained and machine harvested.
However the expected crop will be lower for several reasons: the drought during the year (only 175-250 litres/m2 vs. average 325-350 litres/m2), bad budding due to frosts, bad fruit set in some verdejo vineyards and the hot temperatures during the summer. In spite of the larger surface of vineyard this year, these circumstances have led to a reduced production compared to the last two harvests.
Nowadays, 90% of white wine is mechanically harvested. Harvest takes place at night for two reasons. Firstly, to avoid must oxidation which is produced by sunlight and secondly, to take advantage of the cool temperatures at night that allow the entry of colder grapes in cellars which favours the production of increased quality wines.
The Rueda Regulating Council, in addition to its five inspectors already operating in the appellation, took on 50 supervisors for this vintage to keep a watchful eye on the quality and the origin of the grapes, checking their source, the yields in the vineyards, the health and the quantities of the varietals that were brought in to each of the appellation’s wineries, and rejecting those bunches and berries that did not conform to the standards set out in the regulations of the Regulating Council.
1,518 growers and two new wineries are authorised to harvest during this campaign: Herrero Vedel S.L. (Nieva – Segovia) and HUGAD S.L. (Serrada-Valladolid).