Harvest, verema, vendimia at Torelló
Just over a week ago, we began the 2020 harvest at Torelló, an organic and entirely manual harvest, in line with the principles and values that define us. This year’s harvest at Torelló started on Saturday 8 August with the Muscat variety, followed by Pinot Noir. We then continued with Macabeo and Chardonnay. The harvest is expected to extend, with the red varieties, until mid-September.
This has been a challenging year full of difficulties for winegrowers in the Penedès, especially for those of us working with organic viticulture. In addition to the devastating consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, the vineyards in the region have been severely affected by mildew (a fungal disease) in a way not seen for more than one hundred years. The most affected varieties have been Parellada and Macabeo, while Muscat and Malvasía have been the least affected.
As many of you know, at Torelló we mainly work with the three historic varieties for Penedès sparkling wines (Macabeo, Xarel·lo and Parellada), so you can imagine the impact this can have. But, as everyone in this beloved yet demanding profession knows, winegrowers are always looking up to the sky. When working with organic viticulture, we depend more than ever on the benevolence (or otherwise) of the weather. The treatments available to us are far more limited than in conventional agriculture. We do not fight pests with chemical products in the vineyard, and we rely solely on preventive treatments, always respectful of the environment and supportive of the biodiversity of the estate.
In 2020 we will harvest a smaller quantity of grapes, but of good quality. We achieve this thanks to manual harvesting, the first selection of the fruit is made directly in the vineyard, and thanks to the fact that once the grapes arrive at the winery, they pass through a sorting table, where we carry out a second selection before the grapes reach the press.
As many of you already know, manual harvesting is one of the mandatory requirements of Corpinnat. The sorting table is one of the working methods we use at Torelló. Commitments require effort, both personally and economically, but they are based on knowledge and, above all, on firm and unwavering values.
Wishing everyone a very good harvest!
