What has been the most advanced harvest in recent years, that of 2023, is already in the harvesting phase of the red grapes, where the first harvests of the native grape variety in the Almansa Denomination of Origin are already taking place: Garnacha Tintorera.
All this in a year in which, despite the drought that we have been experiencing for much of 2023, our varieties (white and red) have reached the most important month of the year for the wineries in our production area in excellent health. The red varieties (Garnacha Tintorera, Monastrell and Syrah) are expected to continue to be harvested during the last days of September in areas such as Higueruela and Alpera, which have had a later start, in order to extend the harvest until the last days of October.
It is true that the first stage of the harvest, with the white grape harvest, took place earlier than ever before, with a date around 25 August, depending on the location. From then until mid-September, the weather has respected the stages of the harvest, except in September, when there were some heavy storms that could have affected the grape grade in some areas of Alpera, but without causing major damage.
Adolfo Cano, president of DO Almansa, has specified that, as usual, the grape harvest will go ‘beyond the middle of October and will be 30 to 40% shorter than last year’s’, but always bearing in mind that, ‘Despite the drought, the Garnacha Tintorera has had a spectacular response, withstanding and ripening better than ever, so we are sure that the grapes will reach the wineries in excellent condition to make the wines of the 2023 vintage’.
