Harvest Report 2024
2024
The start of the year was rather unusual, with warmth at the end of winter and a very hot April. Water-laden soils completed a scenario of some early advancement in the initial stage of the vine’s cycle and favourable conditions for grape development, heralding the excellent yield that would later be confirmed at harvest. From late spring through to July, both temperature and rainfall were normal, although, as has become customary in recent years, July and August were warmer than average. September, and therefore the harvest, was slightly cooler than usual, with some rain from 20 September onwards. The year was characterised as “Warm and Normal”, much like 2023.
PRECIPITATION & TEMPERATURE
At Quinta do Vallado – Régua, between November 2023 and the end of October 2024, rainfall totalled 935 mm, compared with the 30-year average of 848.9 mm — an increase of 10% — yet still less than in 2023. March was the wettest month, and June also saw slightly more rain than average, but from July the dry weather returned, and September registered less rainfall than the average (27 mm compared with 40.1 mm) and less than in previous years.
At Orgal in Foz Côa, in the period from November 2023 to the end of October 2024, rainfall reached 608 mm, compared with the average of 534.9 mm for the same period (+14%). Rainfall was fairly regular throughout the year, with the exception of May and August, when there was little or no rain, respectively. September recorded more precipitation than usual, though this occurred after the harvest.
In Régua, temperatures generally did not deviate much from the normal values, with the only points of note being temperatures 1 to 1.5ºC higher in July and August, and conversely, a cooler September than average.
In Orgal, the winter was warmer than the average, and July and August, with temperatures 3ºC above average, confirmed the new normal of even hotter summers. September, however, was slightly cooler than the average, which is always favourable for the harvest!
VINE DEVELOPMENT
In the vineyard, the impact of the weather was felt during the initial stage of the cycle, when there was some early advancement, followed by a normal year overall. This was reflected in the start of the harvest in Régua on the 13th of August with Moscatel, followed by Gouveio on the 20th together with other white varieties. On 27th of August, we began harvesting in the Douro Superior. These dates were about one week later than the start in 2023. The harvest concluded without incident on the 2th of October.
HARVEST
It was an intense harvest with a good yield, although on average there was a slight decrease compared with 2023. The traditional vineyards, some of them nearly a century old, performed at a very high level in terms of both quality and production, with an increase recorded in the quantity of grapes from our most iconic vineyards.
WINES
The wines are excellent: the whites show great balance and an overall quality above average, while the reds and Ports are also of a very high standard, in a style quite different from 2023, they're more elegant and fruit-driven and promise a great future.