Portugal

There was plentiful winter rainfall, refreshing the soil after a period of cumulative drought. A warm spring got the vines off to a good start and there were no issues with frost or problems at flowering time. As one would expect the summer was dry: that said temperatures in July were not excessive. There was a heatwave at the end of August but the vines coped well. Rain on 3rd September in the Douro was perfectly timed to trigger the final ripening of the black grapes (many of the white grapes had been harvested already). Much of the Touriga Nacional was picked over the following fortnight. However, some of the edge was taken off the harvest by two further bouts of rain during this period, putting pressure on the gathering of the late ripening Touriga Franca. Elsewhere in Portugal the vintage was able to proceed at a steady pace well into October. Whilst there will be a need for selectivity given the September rains, overall quality should be good.