Last Monday, August 21, we began the 2023 harvest. The culmination of a vegetative cycle marked by extreme drought in the Priorat and the uncertainty of what it will entail. Unlike other wineries that have started harvesting a week earlier than last year, at BUIL & GINÉ it has only been one day difference.
As we already pointed out in a previous article in May, the irregular sprouting of the vines (between 10 and 20 cm and up to 1 meter in shady and humid areas) and the worrying indicators of water scarcity, told us that it would be an anachronistic harvest. Let us remember that from the month of January to May 25, 69 l/m2 have been registered. When in recent years the average rain registered in this same period has been 200 l/m2.
A heat wave in the second week of August has also marked the start of the grape harvest. What is usual during this time of the year is that temperature drop at night below 20ª. This drop in temperature allows the vines to recover from the daytime heat, which can reach 40ºC. As so, they can continue their vegetative process with a gradual and optimal ripening of the grapes. On the contrary, in mid-August we have had consecutive nights with temperatures of 28º. The thermal oscillation between day and night is a key factor of our territory. This allows the vines to “self-regulate” and carry out a constant (not sudden) maturation process, maintaining good levels of acidity, during the last phase of the vegetative cycle.
In general, the production will be lower, but the positive side is that the health of our grapes is excellent. The size of the grapes is also smaller than usual, but the aromatic concentration is higher. Also, the level of sugar. A demanding vintage that we will undoubtedly remember and of which our 2023 wines will be testimonials.
