The drought is still afflicting a large part of southern Spain and the Canary Islands Main photo and asoleo image by Fran Lopez of Bodegas Luis Perez and the rest have been kindly provided by producers.
Continuing with our 2021 harvest report, we publish the impressions of the producers who work in the southern half of the country. Once again we have asked them about the key factors that shaped the vintage, the best and worst part of it and how the wines are developing.
According to Daniel Jiménez-Landi (Comando G), 2021 breaks the pattern of the last decade of even-numbered vintages showing greater potential in contrast with warmer conditions in odd-numbered vintages. The year started with the Filomena snow storm, which acted as a fertilising booster for the vines. Spring was wet but a widespread frost in April naturally dampened what could have been an extremely generous year. Summer was generally mild except for a heatwave that lasted five days and was accompanied by wildfires in the villages of Cebreros and Navalacruz.
"On 1 September, 2021 looked like a great vintage reminiscent of 2016, but the 300 litres of rain we had that month (three to four times the average) forced us to work hard to fight botrytis," Jiménez-Landi reports. Finally, the harvest was delayed and the grapes showed "sapid ripeness,” as they like to call the sweet spot they are seeking in the grapes, their lowest alcohol levels ever (all wines are between 12.5-13.5%) and also very low pHs. Jiménez-Landi finds a similar profile to 2018, when grapes were also picked later than usual.
Pros: Grapes ripened slowly. Despite the April frost, 2021 was a benevolent year.
Cons: Rainfall during the harvest required a painstaking selection; a considerable amount of grapes had to be discarded.
The vintage in a sentence (Daniel Jiménez-Landi): “2021 is a vintage for lovers of fine wines”
After two generous vintages, 2021 saw lower yields due to adverse weather conditions, notably hail and storms in September. Impressions differ from one producer to another depending on their location within this vast region.
In Toledo, Margarita Madrigal at Mas Qué Vinos, describes 2021 as a frosty vintage in an area where the heatwave did not have a major impact. After the severity of Filomena, which even killed some plants, they had to contend with frost on 29 April and hail on 1 September. All this resulted in aromatic, clean, highly concentrated wines with more acidity and alcohol than usual due to lower yields. The reds, she says, stand out.
The heatwave that pushed temperatures above 45ºC in some parts of Spain in August was severely felt in Tomelloso (Ciudad Real). Elías Montero from Bodegas Verum picked his Albillo grapes before the extreme heat, but early ripening varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and some Tempranillos were badly damaged by the scorching weather and by the rain at the beginning of September. In this context, late ripening varieties (Tinto Velasco, Graciano, Garnacha) performed much better. "It was a strange year,” Montero told us. "I don't see any similarities with other vintages; perhaps with 2013, but yields are lower this year. I have some some very good wines but others are below average.”
In Manchuela, Juan Antonio Ponce (Bodegas Ponce) describes 2021 as a "busy vintage," yet thanks to Covid, they were able to spend a lot of time in the vineyard. Whilst the majority of the white grapes destined for Reto were picked before the heatwave, the rest benefited from the first rains that helped to moderate alcohol. A heavy storm in the village of Iniesta (his father had never seen anything like it) that left many plants without leaves forced them to pick all the affected plots in a rush but, fortunately, the grapes were ripe. In the plots that skipped hail, vines continued ripening and resulted in balanced wines. Ponce sees 2021 as great vintage, especially for his white and single-vineyard reds.
Pros: Weather conditions: Filomena snow storm, the heatwave in August, hail and storms in September.
Cons: Old vines and late ripening grape varieties were the best performers.
The vintage in a sentence (Juan Antonio Ponce): “We are lucky to have our vineyards spread out across different areas as we have complications every year”
The generous rain in Valencia during winter (Filomena also touched some areas here), spring and harvest was a prominent feature in 2021. According to Javi Revert, who grows grapes near the village of La Font de la Figuera, inland, this meant that they had to fight mildew as well as powdery mildew, the most common fungal disease in the area, but fortunately it was less virulent than in 2020. August was very dry and warmer than usual, and whilst the rain in September brought some extra challenges, it had a refreshing effect. In the end, they had a healthy crop with standard yields in line with 2020. "I am starting to like having rain in August and September as it allows us to produce fresher, tighter, vertical wines," Revert says. For him, 2021 is a good vintage, but he would have liked it even more if it had rained earlier. "This is a continental rather than a Mediterranean vintage," he concludes.
In Alicante, Violeta Gutiérrez de la Vega (Curii and Gutiérrez de la Vega) was happy because they had a long ripening cycle, it didn't rain during the harvest and all the grapes were picked with one degree of alcohol below the standard in the area. "The grapes were ripe at 13%, which is very unusual here," she says. The main problem was mildew. It did a lot of damage in a plot that is more sensitive to humidity and also affected Moscatel planted in La Marina. In this case, a stricter selection process had to be done and yields were significantly reduced. Wild boars are a growing threat, especially in isolated mountain plots. This year their red Dr. Jekyill will not be released.
In Jumilla, Elena Pacheco of Viña Elena and Bruma del Estrecho experienced the same warm vintage pattern of 2020, but with less rain in the summer and scorching night temperatures that dehydrated some plants lowering their balance and yields by about 13% Fortunately, the rain in September helped grapes to rehydrate and the final outcome was much better than expected, both in their own estate in the southern end of the DO (the warmest area) and in the elevated vineyards to the north, where they source grapes for a couple of single-vineyard reds. "Here we work with old vines that self-regulate themselves and can finish the cycle; we have managed to have good balance.”
Regarding the wines, she says: "They taste good, with slightly less concentration than in 2020 when, despite short extractions, the intensity was very high. In 2021 there is good acidity and good pHs". Pacheco, however, draws attention to the challenges of finding people to harvest by hand at the right time. The majority of Jumilla's vineyards are dry-farmed and goblet-trained.
Pros: The rain in September had a refreshing effect in the hottest areas.
Cons: Mildew and scorching temperatures in August.
The vintage in a sentence (Elena Pacheco): “Self-regulating old vineyards have produced excellent fruit balance”
For Pedro Mercado, owner of Pago de Los Balancines, the main challenge was to avoid the heatwave that extended for two weeks in the area. Except for this isolated episode, 2021 was a cool year, with a mild, rainy spring and a reasonably cool summer for the region's standards. It was a shorter harvest with good quality grapes —provided they had been picked prior to the heatwave. If not, the wines are likely to be overripe and poor in acidity. At Pago de los Balancines, grapes were balanced and ripe before the extreme rise of temperatures.
Pros: Most of the year was cool for the region’s standards.
Cons: The heatwave at the end of the harvest.
The vintage in a sentence (Pedro Mercado): "Those who got ahead of the heat are likely to have a very good vintage".
The harvest in Montilla-Moriles was shorter than in 2020, mainly due to the drought that continues to have an impact on production. As well as the good sanitary condition of the grapes, Bernardo Lucena, technical director at Bodegas Alvear, mentions the heatwave, with scorching temperatures that dehydrated the grapes which were not protected by vegetation and even caused some bunches to become raisined on the vine. As a result, the amount of grapes destined for biological ageing is smaller —Lucena will use the 20% of healthy but overripe grapes for Olorosos.
In terms of the sweet wines, Lucena did a selection of their own Pedro Ximénez grapes and those of their suppliers. The chosen grapes were sundried a couple of days less than the usual five to seven given that they had been dehydrated in the plants.
The highest plots in Sierra de Montilla were harvested before the heatwave and performed much better. They are planted with vines pruned in the traditional way, sheltering the clusters from the sun. Lucena foresees good quality, especially in the Tres Miradas range of white wines born in the region's albariza soils.
In Sanlúcar, Ramiro Ibáñez, who advises Tres Miradas and makes his own wines at Cota 45 in Sanlúcar, notes that the heatwave was also felt in the Sherry Triangle, where a great number of bunches were damaged —many had burnt grapes on one side and green on the other. Consequently, 2021 will not be remembered as a great vintage in the region. "Wines from great vineyards will stand out from others that are not so great," Ibáñez points out. " It is evident that this pattern, which used to occur every few years, seems to be repeated with greater frequency as a result of climate change.”
In this context of prolonged drought —three years in Sherry country— Palomino grapes had more vegetation and bunches but, according to Willy Pérez of Bodegas Luis Pérez in Jerez, Pedro Ximénez vines suffered greatly in terms of yields in the absence of rain, and the reds were harvested earlier than ever before. The whites and the first passes at Macharnudo escaped the heat of mid August, but not Carrascal, where the vines stalled and lost acidity. With 10ºC less than in Jerez, the plots closer to the Atlantic Ocean did not suffer as much from the heat, although grapes had a noticeable lack of alcohol.
"The vintage will not be as good as the outstanding 2019 and the very good 2020. We will have to top up the barrels more than usual to have less flor, and leave the lees for a little longer,” sums up Pérez. "We will see how things go in winter, but we are confident that we will have fine wines and fantastic oxidative qualities, which is inherent to this type of vintages.”
The heatwave also had a negative impact on the Ronda mountains, where, according to Federico Schatz, 50% of the grapes dried and were lost, but the final result is not negative in a year with a little more rain than previous years. "We had to work hard in the vineyard, but as long as we do our homework well, we will have interesting wines, both on the entry-level range and premium, with high acidity, polished tannins, moderate alcohol and balance,” says Schatz, who works biodynamically on his estate at 700 metres above sea level. The harvest was satisfactory in terms of yields too, says the Malaga winegrower, especially on early ripening varieties such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Muscat Noir.
150km east of Ronda, in the Axarquía region of Málaga, Clara Verheij is extremely happy with the harvest, which began on 26 July, earlier than ever. With no excess heat or diseases, Moscatel, Romé, Pedro Ximénez and the rest of the varieties she grows arrived in perfect sanitary condition at the winery and in generous quantities.
"The year 2021 will go down in our records as Excellent, and not only because of the quality of the wines," explains the owner of Bodegas Bentomiz. "Last year was filled with insecurity, and the warehouse was full of bottled and unsold wines. With so much stock I was only able to make a few wines. This year we will release all of our wines again and in large quantities because the wines are very expressive and fresh and sales have recovered well.”
Pros: The excellent vintage in Malaga and the potential to make great oxidative wines in Jerez and Montilla-Moriles
Cons: Vegetation shutdowns and extreme heatwaves seem to be occurring more often with climate change.
The vintage in a sentence (Willy Pérez): “The vintage will not be as good as the outstanding 2019 and the very good 2020”
Bàrbara Mesquida (Mesquida Mora, Mallorca) has very good impressions this year after a traumatic 2020 marked by Covid-19 and a devastating attack of downy mildew that slashed yields by half.
In terms of volume, 2021 was closer to 2019 with significantly lower disease incidence —sulphur and preparations like 501 were enough for the vines (Mesquida Mora was one of the first producers to achieve biodynamic certification in Spain). Despite the August heatwave that anticipated the harvest, Bàrbara picked healthy grapes. She was also lucky that Porreres, the village where she grows her vineyards, managed to skip the rain as opposed to other parts of the island. She is happy with the quality: there is good acidity and pHs are lower than in previous years.
Pros: Average yields are recovering after the mildew debacle of 2020.
Cons: The heatwave that brought the picking forward and rain during the harvest.
The vintage in a sentence (Bàrbara Mesquida): "2021 is a vintage to recover hope"
The drought continues to affect the south of Tenerife and Santiago del Teide, in the north-western corner of the island, where Envínate has its winery. Despite the fact that the vines there are stressed by the lack of water, Roberto Santana is happy with the health of the grapes and the yields, which, although well below normal, are 20% higher than in 2020. As for the wines, he defines them as "fruity, with potential and tannic weight."
The heatwave in August did affect coastal areas such as Santa Úrsula (Tacoronte) and La Orotava, where the harvest had to be brought forward, but Santana is happy with both yields and quality, especially in La Orotava, El Realejo and the upper part of Santa Úrsula, where he expects "complex wines with a long life". In contrast, Taganana, in the northeast of Tenerife, struggled to get off the ground. There, the heat and the animals have once again taken their toll on the vines, already affected by the lack of rain in 2019 and 2020. According to Santana, in this area, which is both spectacular and challenging, it will be a year with meagre yields and "nothing exceptional.”
The lack of grapes has also been a problem for Carmelo Santana (Bien de Altura), who saw his yields reduced by 60% due to downy mildew during flowering, despite having been on top of the plants more than ever before. Despite the small yields in Gran Canaria, an island with barely 100 hectares under vine, he is grateful that the harvest went smoothly and is happy with the purity, acidity and structure of the wines, especially Listán Negro, a variety generally considered to have little ageing potential but which Santana believes could provide a few surprises in this respect.
The absence of rain is also the most pressing problem in Lanzarote, where a mere 50 l/m² fell on the island this year and the plants have not been dormant for two years. "The vines were stressed and the pruning rods were too weak, which caused yield shortages and ripening difficulties", explains Carmelo Santana, no longer with Puro Rofe but still working in partnership with the grower Vicente Torres. Also affected by mildew, it was an early vintage with more direct, aromatic wines with a little more volume on the palate. "Those who waited to harvest will have terpenic and bitter wines, due to the change in ripeness of the grapes", Santana points out.
Unlike other islands, La Palma recovered its usual rainfall levels during the winter and spring (around 360-390 mm), somewhat alleviating the persistent drought that has plagued the island for years. The summer started off well, Victoria Torres tells us, but the heatwave and strong winds caused losses of 85% at an elevation between 300 and 600 metres, which is where Torres grows her Malvasía on the western side of the island. Forced to do a great deal of selection in the vineyard and with the decision taken to reduce control of must temperature, use less energy and dismantle the destemmer, Victoria harvested the rest of the plots in the south of the island.
When the eruption occurred, Victoria and her team had harvested 60% of the total volume, including one vineyard that now lies buried under the ash. "There was ash in clusters and there are plots that I couldn't harvest because they were inside the exclusion zone and I haven't been able to get to them yet," explains Victoria, who also farms plots in the north, at an elevation of 2,500m, where the heatwave caused less damage. "The volcano takes its toll on the mood and the logistics. Trips that used to take half an hour now take an hour and a quarter; that changes a lot of things, but we were able to finish on 21 October.”
As for the wines, Victoria is surprised by the good ripeness of the skins and seeds and the higher than usual pH, but without diminishing their freshness. "Very delicate in structure, I would describe them as light wines with thinner layers. Mineral whites and reds that are original and very expressive on the nose, with notes that remind me of geraniums. I also love the length they have.”
Regarding the situation on the island now, Victoria believes that it is necessary to wait until the volcano stops its activity to see what is salvageable and what is not, and what kind of aid will be available. In the area buried under the volcanic ash, the vineyards were farmed by small private wineries that made wine for their own consumption. Plagued by drought in recent years, irrigation was needed for the plants to survive. In any case, people come first. "People are digging up houses so digging up vines is not in the cards for a long time; there are many pressing needs ahead of recovering vines."
Pros: The absence of personal injuries after the eruption of the volcano on La Palma.
Cons:The absence of rain and the complicated challenge of recovering vines in an archipelago where subtropical climate hinders the cultivation of vines.
La frase de Victoria Torres: "When the volcano stops its activity and the fundamental needs of the people are solved, we should invest in rethinking the affected area"
