Vine and wine cycle

2007 Harvest in Navarra —less quantity, more quality

The Control Board of the D. O. Navarra has announced the conclusion of the 2007 harvest, although some plots of Cabernet Sauvignon and Moscatel to be used for late-harvest wines have been left unpicked. The total harvest was slightly over 105 million kilograms of excellent quality grapes, 17% below last year’s figures. Rainfall and temperatures were favourable throughout the season, which leads to good expectations about the wines of this vintage.

Production forecasts were accurate and there was a drop in harvest volume, particularly in the case of Tempranillo grapes.

Good weather and healthy grapes allowed for unhurried harvesting and for grapes to arrive at the crush pads over a period of time.

The harvest followed its natural order —Chardonnay, Garnacha, Merlot and Tempranillo. All grape varieties showed good colour levels, good balance between acidity and alcohol content and slightly smaller berry sizes than in other years, a very positive aspect for winemaking.

Now begins a new stage. While the vinification of the new wines is concluding, with devatting processes, malolactic fermentation, and so on, in the vineyards, the vines begin to store their reserves in their roots, getting ready for the cold winter. It is the time to begin a new cycle, to apply painstaking care to the vines so that, in spring, they will again offer their best.