Harvest Report
2022
2022 was one of the hottest and driest years on record (since 1931). A winter with very low precipitation levels was followed by an anomalous spring, with very high temperatures and continued lower than average precipitation. May and July were the hottest months on record in mainland Portugal and the very dry and hot weather continued through August and September. The harvest was long and uneven, with significant production losses in the drier areas with poor soils and good production in the cooler areas of the Douro, such as Baixo-Corgo where Quinta do Vallado is located.
Temperature and Precipitation
Winter was cold, with temperatures below normal, but the entire late spring and summer period was extraordinarily hot: May and July were the hottest months on record in mainland Portugal! The highest maximum air temperature, 47.0°C occurred at the Pinhão station, on the 14th, and constitutes a new extreme for the month of July, in mainland Portugal; the average maximum air temperature, 33.16°C, was the 2nd highest since 1931 (after July 2020), with an anomaly of +4.44°C; and still in July, in Régua 23 consecutive days of temperatures above 34°C were recorded and 28 days in the Upper Douro - 11 of which with temperatures above 40°C!
It should also be noted that the 4 highest average maximum air temperature values in July occurred after 2000: 2020, 2022, 2016 and 2010. August continued to be very hot and only in September did the temperature return to normal values for the season.
Throughout the country the scenario of severe and extreme drought continues, which only has a parallel in 2005.
At Quinta do Vallado - Régua rain levels from November 2021 to the end of September 2022, were 296.8mm, which compares with the 30-year average of 755.4mm (-61%). This drought scenario started to be expected from the winter period: from November 2021 to February 2022, we had 103mm of rain, which represents 4 times less than the average of 462.3mm! Spring and summer continued very dry and only September came close to normal with 39.4mm recorded in the middle of the month.
Quinta do Orgal in Foz Côa had 255.1mm or fain, compared to the 489.4mm average of the homologous period (-48%). Here the winter was also dry, but in this location, it is normal to have less rain; even so there was a 54% decrease from 244.7mm to 111.5mm. This trend continued throughout the year, with no significant rainfall to replenish soil reserves.
Vineyard Evolution
In this climate context, of great diversity and severity, the cycle of the vine was not linear. It started late due to the cold winter, but then, with the little water available and the warmth of spring, it got closer to normal. In places where the water stress was most felt - locations with thin and poorer soils - from July onwards there was a halt in the growth and the ripening of the grapes advanced with great difficulty. On the contrary, in richer and cooler locations, although the vines stopped their vegetative development due to drought and heat waves, there was a great capacity to adapt and finally the grapes matured, resulting in a surprisingly good production, given the adversity of the year.
Harvest
The harvest started on the 11th of August in Régua with the Moscatel parcels and on the 22nd of August in the Upper Douro with the reds. It was a very long vintage, with the purpose of always harvesting at the right time and reflecting how each grape variety and each location adapted to the year. The last grape variety to be picked was Sousão on the 28th of September.
As for the quality and quantity of the harvest, heterogeneity on one hand, and the incredible resilience and adaptability of the vines on the other, marked the 2022 harvest. Overall, there were no phytosanitary problems or generalised scald phenomena; the climatic conditions led to musts with low acidity and moderate alcohol content. The work at the winery was demanding, with constant adaptation of logistics and vinification to obtain the best results.
In terms of production, there was a drop in production of approximately 30% in the Upper Douro, but in Régua (Baixo Corgo) production was quite good, registering an average drop of 13% in relation to 2021 (which was a great year), but remaining precisely at the same average as in the last 4 years. In Régua, Moscatel and other white grape varieties such as Gouveio produced well above average, which should be highlighted.
The old vines, resilient and very adaptable, had, however, a general decrease in production, in a very "intelligent" process of adaptation to the severe climatic conditions of the year. They are expected to produce great wines!