The 2018 harvest has finally came
to an end. The total production stands at 81,314,507 kilos of high quality
grapes with an average sugar reading of 11.15° Beaumé (as opposed to last year´s
11.8°)
despite the unusual climatic conditions which delayed the harvest making it one
of the latest in recent times. It was 8.6% larger than last year, not a million
miles from the Consejo´s original estimate of 10%. A total of 29 press houses
processed the grapes with the last ones to be pressed being those for the sweet
Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez. A shade over 50% of the harvest was collected by machine.
Rainfall was well above the
average with 630 litres per square metre recorded at the weather station at
Jerez airport, but it was very unevenly distributed with as much as 800 litres in
certain áreas. Rain falls mostly in autumn and winter, but this year some two
thirds of it fell in March, April and May so the soil took longer to absorb it
and humidity was a problem early on with some outbreaks of mildew, but these
were swiftly dealt with, albeit at considerable cost to growers.
Early summer temperatures were
unusually mild with an almost complete absence of the hot Levante wind in July
so the grapes ripened more slowly than usual, particularly in áreas nearer the
coast where more humidity was brought on the westerly winds. Harvesting began
in the inland vineyards on 23rd August, more than a week later than the recent average
and more than three weeks later than last year, which was one of the earliest
on record. All in all, it was a difficult harvest but with more than
satisfactory results despite the complicated weather conditions.
No comments:
Post a Comment