The Denomination of Origin La Mancha has communicated the start of the harvest of the airén grape, an indigenous variety of the region, after concluding the harvest of the white grapes with a shorter maturation cycle, including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Moscatel, and Verdejo.
The accelerated pace and the predictably short duration of the campaign are evidencing a decrease in production already confirmed in these first harvested varieties, especially sensitive to the heat waves experienced this summer. This has been explained by the manager of Vinícola de Villarrobledo, Julián García, who has indicated that "we are seeing that drop in actual yields."
This reduction in harvest, combined with the advance in grape maturation, is making the 2026 harvest one of the most unusual in the calendar, according to the Denomination of Origin itself in a press release.
"It has been like a tsunami because we expected an advance in some varieties like Chardonnay, but the truth is that everything has been very quick for other varieties," affirmed the president of Vinícola del Carmen, from Campo de Criptana, Julia Mercedes, who also emphasized that "despite a dry spring, thanks to the winter rains the plant has had reserves to ensure quality in the fruit," something she considers essential.
QUALITY OF THE MUSTS
Although the year is reduced in volume, the quality of the grape is considered excellent according to the maturation indicators. As pointed out by a Manchego viticulturist, "the grape comes very healthy, with hardly any phytosanitary treatments and even in dryland vineyards, practically none, almost like an organic plot."
This impression is shared by Luis Botija, member of the Regulatory Council and president of Bodegas Entremontes (Quintanar de la Orden), who "points out an excellent quality of the fruit from the first day of the harvested Airén," predicting "that it will be a year of good wines."
Regarding the analytical parameters, and according to the data collected in the wineries within the quality monitoring survey of the Regulatory Council of the Denomination of Origin La Mancha, the overall harvest presents an average alcohol content of 12.5º and a pH of 3.5 of acidity.
Furthermore, the DO has noted that the first wine productions offer encouraging results regarding the quality of this vintage.