3 Questions for Harvest 2023
Angelo Ribeiro, our viticultural manager, reflects on Quinta do Tedo’s 2023 grape quality status and more…
1. How are Tedo’s grapes different from last year?
A week of heavy rains in May, followed by warm weather, resulted in vines that absorbed the water and underwent photosynthesis in a balanced and thorough manner.*
*Photosynthesis is the process by which the plant converts water, absorbed into the grape vine, and sunlight, that feeds chlorophyll to the leaves, into mandatory fuel for grapevine growth.
Grape maturation this year is more balanced, due to cooler nights and days that were not as hot as in the record-breaking heat of 2022. A larger difference in day and night temperatures results in better leaf transpiration and evaporation of soil humidity, which makes for more balanced ripening.
The grapes’ slower, gradual maturation leads to superior phenolic maturation, benefitting the sensorial characteristics of the wine – aroma, bouquet and complexity. Last year the grapes had higher alcohol %, this year’s lower alcohol % will permit more balanced Douro DOC wines and Ports.
Harvest, or vindimas, started 28 August - earlier each year - where in the past it was a week or even 2 weeks later in early- to mid-September. Beautiful grape clusters!
2. Who makes up Tedo’s 2023 harvest team?
We will have a picking team of 12: 7 women and 5 men. For many years we have had a return harvesting team, coming from close by Folgosa and small villages neighboring Quinta do Tedo. Men and women work together as a team - the women principally cut the grapes as their hands are more dexterious, and the men do the heavy lifting and moving of 25 kg crates of grapes. The men afterwards foot tread, the women do not. No mechanical harvesting here at Tedo.
3. What is unique about Tedo’s vineyards?
Terroir - we know this is a buzzword in today’s wine world, but we stick to our belief that our different vineyards have unique microclimates based on sun exposure, schist soil composition and depth, altitude, humidity, distance from Tedo River, etc.
Some of our unique parcels at Quinta do Tedo include:
Savedra : older vines 13-35+ yrs, more structure in grapes due to more heat.
Seta : 25+ years, more frescura or freshness due to higher altitude.
Valongo : 25+ years, windier exposure, more rocky and shallow soil for lower production / more fruit concentration.
Val de Mina : replanted partially in 2020, fresher location with deeper soil and more production - will start to produce next year. The other parcel, replanted in 2014, is producing well today.
EDP (a parcel that was at one time owned by Portugal’s electric company Electricidade de Portugal, hence the “creative” name) : 30+ years, excellent sun exposure and rocky shallow soils for less vigor, and lower production for more concentration.
Looking towards 2024, the recently replanted parcels will start to produce – 0,8 hectares of (curiously named) Bastardo primarily for Douro DOC rosé wine), 0,8 hectares of Sousão for Port, 1 hectare of Touriga Nacional and 1,2 hectares of Touriga Franca both for Douro DOC red wine production.
Now, let’s back to work elaborating our Ports and Douro DOC wines for you, dear reader, 2023 is looking like a great year!
~ Kay Bouchard