Portugal 2021 Harvest Update

Douro Vineyard

In contrast to the hot 2020 vintage, the 2021 vintage across Portugal was characterised by cooler conditions throughout the year and resulted in a later harvest. In a year marked by lower yields across many of Europe’s wine-producing counties, Portugal went against the grain and 2021 saw an increase in yields versus 2020 across most of the major wine regions, with the exception of Vinho Verde where yields were significantly lower than average.

Despite it being a small country, the great diversity of the Portuguese wine regions is reflected in the 2021 vintage reports below and winemakers across the country are reporting that the quality of the wines produced in 2021 is very promising.

Douro

Luís Sottomayor, head winemaker for Casa Ferreirinha, Ferreira and Offley, acknowledges that the 2021 vintage was challenging but considers it “a very promising year for the Douro”.

The vintage in the Douro was characterised by cooler than average temperatures throughout the growing season. A rainy winter created good water reserves in the soil and mild conditions in the spring facilitated a problem-free budbreak. Vigorous growth early in the vegetative cycle made it necessary to control excessive growth and weeds, and cloudy days coupled with high humidity and warm temperatures led to some outbreaks of powdery mildew. Though there were some extreme weather events in the Douro (hail the size of golf balls, and thunderstorms and heavy rains which caused landslides), these were localised and the Sogrape estate vineyards escaped unscathed. Cool nights throughout the summer allowed the grapes to undergo a perfectly paced slow ripening and the grapes harvested had great aromatic intensity balanced by a refreshing acidity.

The harvest on the Quinta da Leda estate in the far east of the Douro Superior spanned almost twice the normal time. It began on 2nd September with the Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Amarela and Bastardo and ended on 14th October.

Rains in September halted the pace of the harvest and caused some nervousness about the development of rot. At Quinta da Leda a quarter of the annual rainfall fell in September alone. Thin-skinned varieties needed to be harvested quickly, thicker-skinned varieties (such as Rabigato and Touriga Nacional) and fruit from old-vine plots (such as those on the Legado plot of Quinta do Caêdo) fared better.

The team’s in-depth understanding of the grape varieties and sites, careful management of harvest times and a good helping of faith paid off. Luís is very pleased with the “aromatic, fresh and elegant” red and white wines and rates the “elegant profile and the good acidity” of the Port produced in 2021 – ideal for the creation of Aged Tawnies.

Dão

Beatriz Cabral de Almeida, head winemaker at Quinta dos Carvalhais admits that the 2021 harvest was “hard work and exhausting” but is proud of the “delicate, fresh and elegant wines produced”.

The 2021 vintage in the Dão was a pretty typical year. Winter rains replenished water reserves in the soil. Lower temperatures and rain at crucial moments, such as flowering and fruit set, caused some issues and resulted in heterogeneity in berry size, but unlike the 2020 vintage there were no issues with frost. July was significantly cooler than usual, with few days above 30°C, and the grapes underwent a slow ripening. Some rain on 11th August gave the dry-farmed vines a necessary boost for the final stages of ripening and the grapes harvested had excellent aromatics and balance.

Harvest began on the Quinta dos Carvalhais estate on 1st September with Gouveio and Touriga Nacional for rosé wines and the Jaen (Spain’s Mencía) was harvested the following week. Rain in mid-September interrupted the harvest, but the picking recommenced on 13th September and the last grapes were harvested on 7th October. Careful hand harvesting and a rigorous grape sorting process at the winery ensured that only pristine fruit made it into the wines.

Beatriz and head viticulturalist João Vasconcelos Porto are also delighted to report that the 28 hectares of vineyard replanted in 2020 after the 2017 bush fires are growing very well and are due to come into production in 2023.

Video Update from Beatriz Cabral de Almeida

Vinho Verde

António Braga, head winemaker at Quinta de Azevedo, describes 2021 as “a challenging year” and “one of the most complicated” he has experienced to date. Rain at critical moments in the growing cycle and cooler than average temperatures throughout the year resulted in a significant reduction in yields: down 43% in comparison to 2020. Nevertheless, despite the difficult year, António is pleased with the very elegant, clean and aromatic wines produced.

The vintage in Vinho Verde got off to a tricky start with cold and rainy weather causing issues with budbreak, flowering and fruit set. Due to the abundance of water in the soil, the vines grew vigorously and the viticultural team needed to work hard to keep the vegetative growth under control. Wet weather as late as June and July also led to issues with downy mildew in the region, however, the bilateral cordon training system with vertical shoot positioning on the estate allowed good aeration of the vine canopy and meant this was less of an issue at Quinta de Azevedo. The harvest took place between 9th and 22nd September with regular breaks to allow the vines to recover from the rains that fell around every three to four days. The Alvarinho on the estate was harvested first, the Loureiro ripened slightly later, and António was especially pleased with the quality of the Alvarinho from the 8 hectares of younger vines planted in 2017.

Video Update from António Braga

Bairrada

Like Vinho Verde, Bairrada also experienced heavy rain throughout the harvest – the equivalent of 10% of the average annual rainfall fell during this period. As a result, yields were down, but António Braga was very positive about the quality of the Sercialinho from a 2.5-hectare plot on the Quinta de Pedralvites estate which produces the Série Ímpar Sercialinho.

Alentejo

Luís Cabral de Almeida, head winemaker at Herdade do Peso, describes 2021 as “bad for the beach, but really great for the grapes… an almost brilliant year in the Alentejo” and is excited about the elegant wines produced, characterised by “remarkable acidity and balance”.

Winter rains replenished water reserves in the soil – this, and the cooler than usual conditions that followed, meant less irrigation was required. A warm and dry spring provided perfect conditions for flowering and fruit set. The start of the summer was much milder than usual, daytime temperatures rarely exceeded 35°C and cool nights allowed a slow and steady ripening of the grapes. A heatwave at the beginning of August, with temperatures up to 43°C, caused the vines to shut down temporarily and brought ripening to a standstill, but this recommenced when temperatures dropped mid-month.

The harvest on Herdade do Peso, in the Vidíguiera sub-region of the Alentejo, began with the white grape varieties on 11th August and finished on the 23rd September with dry weather throughout. Machine harvesting took place at night to preserve the freshness of the grapes and a selective manual harvest was carried out on the best plots on the estate. Luís was delighted with the quality of the grapes harvested, his highlights are the Touriga Nacional “with notes of wild shrub”, the Petit Verdot “deep, with a somewhat wild aroma” and the Alicante Bouschet which has produced “some exceptional wines”.

Further north in the Portalegre sub-region, the harvest at Quinta do Centro started later on 1st September and finished on the 1st October. Here, Alicante Bouschet, Trincadeira and the whites from old vines were what excited Luís the most.

Video Update from Luís Cabral de Almeida

Despite the challenges posed by the 2021 vintage, winemakers across Portugal are excited about the quality of the wines produced as a result of hard work in the vineyards and the wineries. We are looking forward to tasting the new vintages as they are released in 2022.