03 Oct A smaller but ‘good quality’ grape harvest comes to a close

Processes begin and end. The harvest is one of those key processes in winemaking. It is a turning point where a natural cycle comes to an end and a new cycle of work, winemaking and listening by the winery begins. In general terms, the 2024 vintage has been a good one. Iñigo Berzal, the winery’s oenologist, is ‘happy’ with the way it has been produced.

Quality
Right from the vineyard, Iñigo Berzal commented that he had good feelings about this year’s harvest. These feelings have been fulfilled once they have been able to analyse the grapes harvested and their characteristics.
‘The quality parameters are good’, Iñigo acknowledged. During the first part of the harvest, Iñigo affirms that ‘the grapes came in very healthy and very well; with less quantity than other times, but very healthy’.
Then it rained a little more and the grapes came in a little softer, but with good quality. And the rest of the harvest in other areas where it had not rained so much, the grapes also came in well, with good quality.

Balance
With regard to the evolution of the harvest in general, Berzal says he is ‘very happy’. In the white grape, for example, he says that ‘we have achieved a good relationship between acidity and alcohol content’. This means that there is no excess alcohol content. Thus, Iñigo assures us that ‘the white wines are super-balanced’.
As for the red wines, some work had to be done after the harvest: ‘We had to make a fairly strong selection after the rains to prevent grapes with botrytis from entering the winery’. With this selection work, 50% of the grapes are already fermenting with a perfect fermentation. Precisely, Iñigo acknowledges, ‘this previous selection has managed to maintain a balance between acidity and alcohol content’.

Quantity
In terms of quantity, Iñigo Berzal says he is happy. ‘It is true that there was less quantity than last year, but we are within the limits set by the Control Board’. He assures us that this year they have put in ‘around 5,800 kilos of grapes per hectare’.
In short, at Dominio de Berzal we are very happy with what this very special vintage has brought. Iñigo insists that ‘I’m very happy because September started off rainy and we were a little afraid of how that was going to affect the health of the grapes, but they have behaved very well’.