The start of the 2022 harvest at Bodegas Piqueras is just around the corner. With the grapes reaching their optimum ripening point, the harvest, predicted to be of excellent quality, is scheduled to begin at the end of August.
In the DO Almansa area especially, this dry and hot summer has led to a slight advance in the date of the harvest compared to previous years.
This does not affect the quality of the grapes, as the main factor is that the grapes are very healthy and well balanced. Moreover, the fact that there have been no heavy storms, as occurred in previous summers, means that no imbalances in the ripening of the grapes or fungal diseases are expected.
In this overall context, it is significant that, thanks to the rains in March and April, the leaves have held up very well, especially in the unirrigated vineyards, leaving us with very healthy and attractive-looking grapes. It is expected that in the coming week the temperatures will drop slightly and the cooler weather will enable the grapes to ripen gradually before the harvest begins, further improving the final quality of the grapes.
The harvest will probably begin at the end of August when the earliest white grapes will be picked, starting with the Sauvignon Blanc at our Timonares estate. In the case of Garnacha Tintorera, harvesting is expected to begin in the second week of September, if the weather is favourable.
Given these conditions, Juan Pablo Cantos, head winemaker at Bodegas Piqueras, is particularly positive about the possibilities in terms of quality of the red wines of this 2022 vintage: “there are high expectations given grapes with great colour and ripe and powerful tannins. These will be wines with body, structure and great quality; it will be a great year to make quality wines, especially red wines.”
Juan Pablo Cantos also highlights the fact that our production area is “healthy”, with no disease having affected the vines. He also notes that the harvest “will not be enormous”, but average in terms of size.
