The harvest season represents the end of a work year, it represents tradition, interaction and loads of emotions. It is a season when the winery is at its highest: the grapes are arriving, the musts are getting inside the vats… it is a very exciting season for all Quinta de Santa Cristina team members.
The harvest started in the 1st of September and we expect it lasts until the end of the month. This year, the quantity of grapes increased side by side with the quality, which seems to be at an excellence level.
Amongst the vineyards, our farm workers cut the bunches and select the best ones to go to the winery, where it will get started the whole vinification process. The first grapes that entered the winery were from the Arinto grape variety, the ones we normally use for Quinta de Santa Cristina white sparkling wines. Then, took place the Alvarinho grapes harvest, since it is a early maturation grape variety that matures ealier than almost all the other ones. This variety produces wines with a high alcohol content as well as fruity or floral profiles, depending on the different altitudes at the vineyards are planted. After Alvarinho, it is time to pick all the other varieties, such as Batoca, Azal, Trajadura, Loureiro and, at last, the red grape varieties – Vinhão, Padeiro, Espadeiro,…
This year, we expect wines with high alcohol content paired with very well-balanced acidity comparing to the previous years, result of the heat in the June and July months. Thus, 2020’s vintage will be marked by structured, full-bodied and very intense in terms of both aromatic and flavor wines, making this one of the best vintages or, perhaps, the best of them all.
Cheers! 🍇
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