Quinta do Tedo’s 2024 harvest started on September 13th, a later date considering that the last 10 years’ harvest start dates have been closer to the beginning of September.
Spring was rainy in Douro; when Vincent and I arrived at Quinta do Tedo in July, we both commented about how verdant the landscape was, compared to other years.
We had sweaters on our shoulders many a summer evening - even come early September, the days did not heat up to the past mid-35C/95F norms. Our vines reacted to two four-day heat waves in August by going into heat shock, blocking their photosynthesis pathways, and temporarily halting the grapes’ maturation.
Photo: Resident Winemaker Marta Santos tending, gentle-footed, to one of our 4 small, traditional lagares, freshly-filled with our old vine Savedra field blend.
Here I am, at the end of September, writing this blog, and we are still harvesting Port grapes (for which we need more ripeness than the grapes we harvest for Douro DOC wines). Recent rain further slowed ripening. And devastating fires kept us on our toes - luckily none came close to Quinta do Tedo, but we mourn for the damage they caused and the lives they took to the North, near Vila Real, and South, in Penalva do Castelo.
Photos: smoke hazed skies while planes pick up water from Douro River to fight the fires.
But the light at the end of the tunnel approaches - we will pick our last parcel of slower ripening Touriga Franca on Monday and celebrate the end of harvest 2024 with Cook Adelaide’s traditional fritas levadas (cinnamon fritters) and no doubt a glass of Porto!
Unlike many other wine regions, where rain can accompany harvest, deteriorating grape quality and making life miserable for pickers, we’ve had almost pristine sunny harvest weather (save some sprinkles last week).
Stop-and-go harvest like 2024 are logistically complex, but as Viticultural Manager Angelo Ribeiro explains, longer ripening times allow for better phenolic development, especially in quicker-ripening varieties Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz (aka tempranillo). We are excited to taste and share the results!
Photo: Viticultural Manager Angelo RIbeiro showing the difference between Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz.
What does our Head Winemaker Jorge Alves have to say about harvest 2024?
"The 2024 vintage shows an elegance and purity of the classic years. The bluish-grape berries emanate scents of blackcurrant and white spices. The tannins, that polymerize as ripening progresses, are now rich and textured. The musts show depth, transparency and long length. Great Douro and Port wines are expected in this harvest".
Photos: Terrace picnic with a killer Douro Valley view, and fun foot treading in the lagares.
Vincent and I hosted our annual “Harvest Experience”, with both returning and new participants on September 4th. It was a full and collaborative day of picking grapes, enjoying traditional food and our Tedo Portos, Douro DOC wines and Olive Oil, and foot treading in our lagares while sipping our (2 decades old!) 2004 Vintage Port accompanied by live harvest music. We also peeked in on Odile’s “garagiste” wine projects - she’s experimenting with new varieties, winemaking techniques and aging vessels.
Pressing Odile’s experiments with her “harvest interns” - Father Vincent and Brother Paolo.
Our other annual experience, “Winemaker for a Day” we hosted on September 10th and combined morning grape picking, a crash course in the art of Tawny Port blending (each participant takes home a ½ bottle of their blend) with “Professor Vincent”, and foot treading in the afternoon. These annual experiences, led by Vincent and me, require anticipated booking - it’s never too early to reach out to join us for harvest 2025, and always a treat to spend the day sharing a slice of our Tedo life with wonderful individuals!
Photo: Quinta do Tedo 2024 “Harvest Experience” crew.
Each harvest warrants a unique t-shirt design; 2024’s features Paolo’s watercolor “All Colors of Tedo”.
As harvest comes to an end, autumn is in the air; the landscape starts its annual change of color. In October and November, a vibrant and beautiful tapestry of yellows, oranges, reds and purples paints the steep vineyard terraces of Douro Valley and her tributaries - autumn awaits us at Quinta do Tedo, and we at Quinta do Tedo await you with a heart-warming glass of Porto!
~ Kay Bouchard