August 9th marked the start of the grape harvest in the Binissalem Denomination of Origin (DO), a key event in the wine-making calendar of Mallorca. Although the campaign has just begun, the vine-growers and winemakers of the DO Binissalem anticipate a high-quality harvest, albeit with a reduction in the quantity of grapes collected. The success of the campaign will largely depend on the weather conditions over the coming weeks, until the harvest concludes in October, they noted in a statement.
The first day of harvesting took place on two estates: one in Sencelles, where the Syrah and Mantonegro varieties were collected, and another in Binissalem, where they worked with Escursac and Macabeu. The harvest will start earlier in some vineyards, as they began harvesting the Chardonnay variety in the early hours of Sunday to Monday.
This process varies from estate to estate, not only due to the different grape varieties but also depending on the type of wine they wish to produce. Long-cycle grapes, such as the red Mantonegro and white Moll, will be harvested later in the season.
Weather conditions during the campaign
The winter of 2022-2023 in Spain was warm, with an average temperature of 7.4ºC, 0.8ºC above the average, making it the tenth warmest winter since 1961 and the fifth warmest of the 21st century. In the Baleares, temperatures were between 0 and 1ºC above average and the winter was wet, with 127% of normal rainfall.
The months of April, May, and June were warm and dry in the islands, with thermal anomalies of 0.3-0.4ºC. In the Binissalem DO region, April and May had normal rainfall, but June was very dry. These weather conditions advanced the flowering of some grape varieties, such as Chardonnay, Muscat, Merlot, and Syrah.
Due to the weather forecasts, the Regulatory Council authorised moderate and controlled irrigation in April. During the summer, the intense heat arrived late, with the first heatwave occurring in the third week of July, reaching 40ºC in some areas. The extreme heat continued into August, with highs of 40ºC and lows exceeding 20ºC during the third heatwave of the summer.
The DO Binissalem
The DO Binissalem, officially recognised in 1990, covers an area of about 600 hectares spread across five municipalities in the Es Raiguer region: Binissalem, Consell, Santa Maria del Camí, Santa Eugènia, and Sencelles. The wines of this DO are renowned for their character and quality, the result of a unique combination of native and foreign varieties, along with a distinctive terroir and Mediterranean climate.
As the harvest progresses, producers remain hopeful that, despite the climatic challenges, 2024 will be a memorable year in terms of wine quality. Although production may be lower, the priority remains to maintain the high standards that have made the wines of the DO Binissalem a benchmark in Balearic and Spanish viticulture.
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