The DO Priorat, Montsant and Terra Alta advancing the harvest due to heat

Falset / Gandesa. Costa Daurada / Terres de l'Ebre. High temperatures during the summer and particularly during the month of August have led to rapid maturation of the grapes, and to prevent any further increase its strength, an improvement of the wine harvest in several areas of the Costa Dorada and the Terres de l'Ebre. Specifically, the DOQ Priorat, DO Montsant and DO Terra Alta plan to start the harvest during this last week of August 2009. The Regulatory Board of Denomination of Origin Terra Alta has reported that over the past four weeks wineries had reported the onset of the harvest to the Governor, two of them have already made wines from white varieties earlier. This week will begin the harvest of red varieties early and it seems that in few days will begin the collection of white grenache, the earliest of the traditional varieties of the DO Terra Alta. In any case, if no unforeseen weather, the harvest could be spread throughout the area of production of the Terra Alta from the first week of September. Overall, the DO Terra Alta provides a harvest of about 39 million kilos of grapes, a 6.75% higher than average production in the last ten years. The enological quality of the crop, according to the DO, is excellent from the perspective of the health of the grapes. As for the DOQ Priorat and DO Montsant, the harvest will also begin this week, three weeks ahead on the usual dates. The quality of the harvest is expected exceptional, producing about 4 million gallons, down from last year. For its part, the DO Montsant, which also has witnessed a rapid increase in the graduation of grapes because of the high temperatures, begin harvesting this week. Typically, the DO Penedès and DO Tarragona are the first to start the harvest, in late August. This year, however, and so execepcional will join these DO also other designations of origin.

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