Hot spells in winter and a cooler spring that expected have affected Lanzarote’s vines, leading experts to warn that this year’s harvest could be later and smaller than usual.
The wine harvest usually begins in June, but the island’s wine council has stated that ripening of the grapes is not homogenous, and that overall ripeness is likely to be delayed.
Last year, 2 million kilos of grapes were harvested on Lanzarote, and the council warns that it will be difficult to match that quantity. However, it believes that the final harvest I s likely to more than match the 2020 harvest of 1.37 million kilos. Demand for Lanzarote wine is high, with almost a million bottles sold already this year.
5,000 kilos have already been harvested in April, as part of an experiment by Bodegas la Geria, which hard-pruned vines earlier in winter so that they would produce fruit inspiring. This experiment, intended to take advantage of climate change, may lead to a to a wine that is “fresher tasting” than usual, according to experts.
If this year’s harvest is lower than usual, it may still result in excellent wines. Some of the most highly rated vintages of recent years have resulted from lower yields.
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