8.7.18 Prediction for the Harvest 2018

Asked for predictions for the 2018 harvest, Consejo Director César Saldaña said the following: “It is still too early to say but so far everything indicates that the harvest will not begin as early as last year, which was a historic record. The first grapes of 2017 were picked on the 1^st of August, something quite exceptional. It is tempting to make predictions, but July and August are the key months. Things are still moving slowly in the vineyards and we don’t see a likelihood of grapes being picked until the middle of August in the interior vineyards, but as everyone knows, it is a lottery. Everything points to a larger crop because we have had plenty of rain. Rainfall is a key factor in the capacity of the vines, and this year we have had much more than the average of 620 litres per square metre in some areas, so the albarizas there are saturated. However, the Levante winds are yet to come and they reduce the water content of the grapes, but for the time being it looks like being a large harvest. In terms of quality, no problems have appeared other than the odd thing which has been dealt with quickly, but nothing like the problems we had in 2016 which were very serious. As always, we will find out for sure when we start to pick”.