This week the grape harvest has officially started in the Denomination of Origin Montilla-Moriles. In this way, and two weeks in advance, the harvest begins in Europe, since this DO is the earliest on the European continent. This early start is the result of the high temperatures in the area and the severe drought that is also being suffered in this DO. The type of soil and its altitude also help in this, which favors bringing forward the maturation of the vine.
The effects of the drought and the high temperatures predict that the harvest will not be abundant. This was the case last year, when production was barely 30 million kg in the more than 4.500 hectares covered by the DO. This season is expected to be very similar and this is equivalent to a 40% decrease compared to the average that was achieved in the DO
In this way, the harvest has begun with the varieties of Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. They will soon continue with the Verdejo and Moscatel varieties to later start harvesting the autochthonous variety of the area and that differentiates the Denomination of Origin Montilla-Moriles, the Pedro Ximenez variety, which is also the most extensive.
Good quality and low production in the 2023 Montilla-Moriles harvest
Although the production of the DO will be low, in the same way that it happened last year, the quality is very good. The scarce rains have prevented the proliferation of diseases related to fungi such as mildew.
The concern of the Denomination of Origin is not only production but also the decrease in the number of active hectares. And it is that the hectares that are uprooted year after year are not fully recovered and some of them go on to grow olive trees.
