The wineries protected by the Denomination of Origin Protected (DOP) Bizkaiko Txakolina have decided to start the harvest at the end of August, after noting an unusually rapid ripening of the grape caused by the high and persistent temperatures of this summer.
Through a statement, the DOP has specified that in the last days of this month the earliest varieties will be harvested, while the harvest of the main ones, Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarrabi Zuri Zerratia, is scheduled for the first week of September.
From Bizkaiko Txakolina, they have pointed out that this year the wineries will face "an earlier harvest than usual" and have reminded that the sector has been observing in recent years that "climate change manifests itself in different ways and that "one of the most evident" is the widespread increase in average temperatures.
In this regard, they have detailed that, after a spring "reasonably balanced in terms of temperature, rainfall, and brightness," the summer has been conditioned by a "clear and persistent" increase in temperatures, which is testing the behavior and adaptability of the different grape varieties.
This thermal increase, they have reiterated, "has accelerated the vegetative cycle of the vine in all its phases, from budding to harvest," so that a small group of authorized varieties in the DOP Bizkaiko Txakolina, considered early, has reached its optimal ripening point earlier than the main varieties, Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarrabi Zuri Zerratia.
Thus, these early varieties -Lore makala (Riesling), Mune mahatsa (Folle blanche), Izkiriota (Manseng), Sauvignon blanc, Chardonay, Izkiriota ttipia (Petit manseng), Berdexarie (Cabernet franc) and Pinu beltza (Pinot noir)- will begin to be harvested in the last days of August and will officially open the campaign, despite representing just over 11% of the vineyard area planted in Bizkaia.
As for the two main varieties, the forecast is that their harvest will begin during the first week of September, although they have clarified that "the rains announced for the coming days could slightly delay these deadlines."