{"id":284517,"date":"2025-07-17T13:37:53","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T11:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/?p=284517"},"modified":"2025-07-17T13:37:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T11:37:55","slug":"caring-for-the-vineyard-while-looking-to-the-sky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/caring-for-the-vineyard-while-looking-to-the-sky\/","title":{"rendered":"Caring for the vineyard while looking to the sky\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0, each vintage is a new challenge, a new climatic landscape that our vines interpret with wisdom. The 2024\u20132025 growing season has been marked by contrasts: periods of generous rainfall, historic heatwaves, hailstorms and summer thunderstorms<\/strong>, and moments of disease pressure in the vineyard. A year that, as always, we have experienced with our feet close to the earth and through a biodynamic lens.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autumn 2024 arrived full of hope. More than 170 litres per square metre were recorded in October \u2013 an exceptional amount that helped refill the aquifers and allowed the vines to enter dormancy with solid reserves of water and energy. November and December continued along the same lines, with mild temperatures and moderate rainfall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter was warm and inconsistent. January and February saw average temperatures around 9\u00b0C, but very little rain in January and only a slight recovery in February. This lack of accumulated cold and winter dryness generated uncertainty about the proper development of the vines in the early stages of the growing cycle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring 2025 was especially kind<\/strong>. Rain fell gradually and consistently, with no extreme events, allowing the soil to absorb water efficiently. The combination of regular precipitation, cool temperatures and wind created ideal conditions for vine growth. However, this context also favoured the development of downy mildew, making early action essential. Thanks to organic preventive treatments and the use of natural preparations such as horsetail infusion, we were able to keep the vineyard\u2019s health under control.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of our biodynamic farming<\/strong>, we also reinforced the natural treatments \u2014 like horsetail infusion \u2014 a vital ally to protect the vines in a respectful way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

June was extreme<\/strong>. The average temperature was 24.9\u00b0C and there was practically no rainfall. According to Meteocat, it was the hottest June on record in Catalonia in the past 125 years. Records were broken in many areas, including the Garraf Natural Park, very close to our vineyards. This heatwave, combined with drought, pushed the vines to their limits. Fortunately, the good reserves accumulated between October and March helped mitigate the most severe effects of water stress.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July arrived with sudden changes. From the 8th onwards, temperatures dropped and the rain returned, with measurements between 12 and 25 litres per square metre depending on the vineyard. But during the weekend of July 12th, a DANA storm <\/strong>system hit many parts of Catalonia hard. In the Pened\u00e8s and Garraf, storms left between 75 and 150 litres per square metre \u2014 and in some cases, hail.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were lucky. Of the five estates we manage \u2014 Les Valls\u2013Les Torres, Els Pujols, Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0, Can Miret and La Torreta \u2014 only three plots in Els Pujols were affected: Chardonnay destined for cava, Syrah for Radix, and white Carignan for Sat\u00e8l\u00b7lit. In all of them, we have begun applying natural treatments to heal the wounds caused by the hail, promote recovery and prevent infection by downy mildew. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The diversity of microclimates and altitudes \u2014 from 150 to 800 metres \u2014 has led to very different responses to the rainfall depending on the terrain. Soils with rounded stones and good drainage capacity managed the water well. Clay soils, more compact and impermeable, retained more moisture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, we\u2019ve seen the value of cover crops<\/a><\/strong>. In the vineyards where the vegetation is well established, access remained easy: no erosion, no gullies, no waterlogging. In a year when the drought gave us a break, the cover crop proved to be a powerful ally for protecting the soil and preserving its structure.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the rain and hail episode, grape ripening is progressing at a good pace and, unlike 2024, the harvest does not appear to be moving forward. Last year, we started picking on August 6th \u2014 the earliest harvest in Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0\u2019s history. This year, everything suggests we\u2019ll return to a more traditional schedule, though still far from the late August dates of 30 years ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The balance of the 2024\u20132025 cycle reflects a vintage full of contrasts. A wet and promising start, an unstable winter, a perfect spring and a summer kickoff marked by thermal stress \u2014 and in July, by an intense episode of rain and hail. It\u2019s still too early for firm predictions, but if summer continues in the pattern of earlier decades, we could be looking at a vintage with good aromatic concentration, freshness and complexity<\/strong>. Spring rainfall, sustained natural acidity and the resilience of the vine could be key.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the last 13 years, since we began farming our vineyards biodynamically, we\u2019ve paid close attention to the position of the planets through astronometereology.*<\/strong> Between 2015 and 2024, the planetary configuration was mostly aligned with constellations associated with warmth and light. But from 2025 onwards \u2014 and based on forecasts through 2027 \u2014 the planets begin to align more frequently with constellations linked to earth and water. This points to a transitional period, beginning in summer 2025, toward milder years, though with more frequent storms. Just as we did during the heat-driven cycle of previous years, we will continue to observe how this new phase evolves \u2014 and how our vineyards adapt to it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0, we continue to work with respect, observing the vineyard, trusting in biodiversity and adapting to the climate challenges of the Pened\u00e8s. As always, with our eyes on the sky and our feet firmly rooted in the earth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

* according to the Maria Thun calendar\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please, feel free to ask any question you may have by this channel or by email to club@paresbalta.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See you soon!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discover how the 2024\u20132025 growing season unfolded at Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0 in Pened\u00e8s. A year of climatic extremes, biodynamic farming and deep connection with the vineyard. <\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

Read More… from Caring for the vineyard while looking to the sky\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8190,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[286,626],"class_list":["post-284517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-viticulture","tag-ecology","tag-pares-balta-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284517"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284517\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":284518,"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284517\/revisions\/284518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}