The Spanish Ministry of Farming, Food and Fisheries estimates at end of October 2024, the final grape harvest for 2024 totalled approximately 36 mhls of wine and grape must. Unpredictable weather including high rainfall in some areas and drought in others has led to a challenging harvest for growers in the country.
Although the 2024 harvest figure is slightly larger than the 2023 vintage, it is worth noting 2023 was the smallest harvest in 60 years. To put the 2024 harvest in context, it is expected to be 12% lower than 2022’s harvest of 41 mhls.
In its Harvest Report for Spain 2024, Foods and Wines from Spain details the myriad challenges facing producers throughout mainland Spain and its archipelagos.
The rainfall which wrought the devastating floods in Valencia, in a harsh irony, was a welcome relief for wineries in central and southern Spain. In northern growing regions damp conditions led to fungal diseases and stop-start harvests, all while the country’s east and islands were tackling the continued effects of stubborn drought.
The overall 2024 harvest figures were strengthened by a relatively successful harvest in Castilla-La-Mancha representing over 60% of the year’s production, compared to 50% in a ‘normal’ year. The aftermath of three years of drought, however, meant the production in the region was still down on the past 10 year’s average. This was a similar situation in other regions including Rioja, Cataluña and the Levante.
Despite the relative gloom regarding an increasingly unpredictable climate, the quality of wines paint a more positive picture, with regions reporting good results in terms of freshness and balance without the heat spikes of recent years.
Bodegas Queirón, located in Quel to the east of the Rioja DOCa, noted that it has taken a diligent approach, which many Spanish winemakers have also had to do during this harvest.
“We’ve found the grapes to be fresh with floral notes and more subtle and delicate aromas. To achieve the desired quality, we almost had to act like surgeons during the grape sorting process, selecting only the firmest berries,” it said.
Food and Wines from Spain’s full harvest 2024 report can be found here.