Harvest report
2022: A great challenge successfully overcome
July 2022 was the hottest month in the last 92 years for most of the country, with the highest ever temperature recorded in the Pinhão region.
Data from IPMA (Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere)
This year’s harvest was the culmination of scant rainfall throughout most of the vegetative cycle, with levels well below average almost every month, and record-breakingly high temperatures. The combination of these factors saw the Douro region in a severe state of drought by the end of June.
By the end of August, Quinta de S. Luiz – Sogevinus’ main property and the centre of its main activities, located in the parish of Adorigo, near Pinhão – recorded just 184mm of rain, 65% below average. By that same time, 58% of the days in the summer months – June, July and August – saw temperatures reaching highs of above 35°C, of which 23 registered a temperature above 39°C. According to data from IPMA (Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere), July 2022 was the hottest month in the last 92 years for most of the country, with the highest ever temperature recorded in the Pinhão region, where its weather station recorded a shocking 47°C.
The impact of this heatwave on vines at low altitudes was very worrying, both in the Cima Corgo region and in the Douro Superior sub-region. Weather conditions at higher altitudes and in Baixo Corgo were slightly milder, and the vines there suffered less.
Although the vegetative cycle started later than expected, the vines’ flowering picked up and ended up occurring marginally earlier than the region’s average. As for vine diseases, the weather conditions were suitable and so there were no issues and had no impact on this harvest’s yield.
In these circumstances, we were faced with a shorter than usual period of maturation, which demanded utmost attention to detail in each plot and constant monitoring of the grapes’ ripening, decisive factors for the success of our mission in obtaining good quality wines with good ageing potential.
“Considering the harsh conditions faced by our viticulture this year, and based on our observations to date, we are confident that our vines have been up to the challenge, delivering surprising results.”
Carlos Alves, Director of Viticulture and Winemaking
Our DOC Douro white wine grapes were the first to be harvested. We started with Viosinho in our lower plots at Quinta de S. Luiz on 18th August, where ripening control samples showed us the levels of alcohol and acidity were already good. Five days later, we began the picking of the red wine grapes, starting with Touriga Nacional in Quinta do Arnozelo, located in Douro Superior.
At the end of the month, on 29th August, we focused on the picking of the Port wine varieties. Given their optimum levels of sugar, crucial in the making of excellent white wines, the first grapes to be picked were the white varieties from low altitude plots. A couple of days later, on 1st September, we began treading the red varieties from the Douro Superior sub-region, where we had grapes under severe water stress due to the lack of water in the soil and the very high temperatures throughout the month of August. Exceptional hot weather over this period, with temperatures above 40°C, forced us to hasten the treading of all grapes, both white and red. The need to plan in detail, prioritise pickings, establish quantities of grapes to be harvested per day and select the mode of transport and winemaking processes was essential, and these tasks came to be more demanding and crucial than in the previous year. Early and almost simultaneous ripening across all grape varieties and all sub-regions pressed us to analyse and organise all aspects of the harvesting operation, so we could ensure the wines would still reflect the grapes’ maximum potential.
All members of our team without exception embraced this challenge with unsurpassed determination and commitment – a crucial factor to the great results achieved in the end.
“In general, due to the grapes’ excellent health during the picking, the Port wines produced from the 2022 harvest show unusually clean aromas and extremely intense colours.”
Carlos Alves, Director of Viticulture and Winemaking
Considering the harsh conditions faced by our viticulture this year, and based on our observations to date, we are confident that our vines have been up to the challenge, delivering surprising results.
In general, due to the grapes’ excellent health during the picking, the Port wines produced from the 2022 harvest show unusually clean aromas and extremely intense colours.
The white wines are aromatic and fresh, showing phenomenal body. On the other hand, the reds are elegant, perfumed and with significantly intense tannins, which signals great ageing potential.
The red Port varieties which have excelled in their performance are Tinto Cão, Sousão and Touriga Nacional, whereas the best white Port varieties this year are Viosinho, with excellent results, as well as Malvasia Fina and Gouveio.
Right now, after the conclusion of the harvest, we believe that it has yielded Port wines of great quality and great ageing potential. However, we will have to wait for the coldest months in the Douro to effectively see how these wines will develop.
“The white wines are aromatic and fresh, showing phenomenal body while the reds are elegant, perfumed and with significantly intense tannins, which signals great ageing potential.”
Carlos Alves, Director of Viticulture and Winemaking
This year’s DOC Douro red wines show medium body and lower alcohol levels. Their acidity is slightly lower than in previous years, but in harmony with this year’s alcohol levels, resulting in well-balanced wines with good tannins. At this early stage, they are already smooth and creamy, a distinctive sign of great quality wines. Onlooking to the varieties, we find our Touriga Nacional fresh and aromatic, with notes of orange blossom and violet, and a delicate and fine palate. Our Tinta Roriz is extremely mineral, with good acidity and displaying aromas of fresh fruit; and our Sousão shows good colour and body and is velvety in the mouth. We can already see that this year was especially generous for our Touriga Nacional: the intense heat and the dry soil brought out the best in this variety. With smaller than normal berries and bunches, Touriga Nacional has resulted in wines with good structure and vibrant colour, serious body, with fruity and floral notes including blackberries and rose blossom. Our old vines have produced wines with unique profiles, faithful to the distinctive vines and vineyards from which they originate. They are balanced wines, with good structure, strong colours and defined acidity.
As for the DOC Douro whites, we are mostly getting fresh and fruity wines with a good palate. The wines obtained from higher-lying vines also show strong minerality. Folgazão is showing good structure – better than normal for this type of grape – and rich aromatic complexity, as well as excellent freshness, whilst keeping its traditional elegance. Viosinho reveals a perfect balance between sugar and acidity levels, which makes for structured, full-bodied wines with good alcohol content, quite floral and with subtle notes of aniseed and peach. Also showing good structure and some complexity, our Gouveio delivers fresh fruit – apricot, not too ripe. Malvasia Fina shows notes of tropical fruit, such as passion fruit and pineapple. Fernão Pires, on the other hand, is displaying rich structure and strong aromas: citrus (orange) and hints of lime tree blossom. The last variety to be picked was Arinto, from our higher plots, and it has offered us wines with good acidity, citrus colour and intensely mineral, conveying notes of green apple and lemon and hints of passion fruit.
Having finished the harvest, we look forward to the next chapter with great expectations. Our red wines are at the end of their malolactic fermentation whereas the whites are going through the blooming phase. Our first post-harvest conclusion is that we are very pleased with the results. We are seeing wines that are structured, perfumed and fresh, with good ageing potential, signalling a promising future.
