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September at Bodegas Arzuaga means one of the most important processes for our winery in Ribera del Duero: the harvest. This vintage – particularly special in all senses – has been marked in our vineyards by ‘very good rainfall, with more rain than usual for this area,’ explains Jorge Sánchez, head of vine-growing at Bodegas Arzuaga. This situation has forced us to keep a very close eye on the possible appearance of fungal infections such as powdery mildew and mildew, which, thanks to exhaustive monitoring and prevention, has not occurred in our vineyards. The rain has also been present during the harvest work itself, with rainfall totalling between 25 and 30 litres in the area.
In terms of the grape health, it ‘has been very good this year, with perfectly healthy bunches,’ explains Sánchez. Also, following the different processes over the course of the year, the ripening has taken place ‘slowly and progressively, as is usual in Ribera del Duero,’ he notes.
As we already told you on our blog (ENLACE), the temperature in our area and, particularly, the temperature variation we experience in summer, is very important for the final result of the grapes. This vintage, moreover, as been ‘especially influenced by the range of temperatures, with temperatures going down to as low as 3°C at night and up to 26-28°C during the day’. That difference means that, among other things, ‘the colour, aromas and polyphenols’ are very well established in the grapes.
Lastly, in terms of the amount harvested, as you know, at Bodegas Arzuaga, we use different methods throughout the year to regulate production, including green pruning, dry pruning or bunch thinning. Thanks to these actions, we set the right quantity of grapes that will grow on each vine, managing to concentrate the nutrients in the way we intend and achieving a very high grape quality. In the 2020 vintage, we harvested between 4,500 and 5,000 kg per hectare of vineyard.
With these characteristics for the vintage, we expect ‘wines with a lot of fruit and an optimal alcohol content, that are fresh and with the right acidity,’ explains Arzuaga’s head of vine-growing, who also notes that they will be wines ‘with a fair amount of colour’.