{"id":298954,"date":"2026-09-03T17:31:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T15:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/?p=298954"},"modified":"2026-09-03T17:39:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T15:39:43","slug":"2026-harvest-the-future-is-already-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/2026-harvest-the-future-is-already-here\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Harvest: The Future Is Already Here"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It is 3 September, and we have already finished the harvest, which began on Monday 3 August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This calendar, unthinkable just a few decades ago, confirms the extent to which the harvest has advanced and become more concentrated. What occupied two full months twenty or twenty-five years ago is now completed in just over a month, despite having a similar vineyard area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all remember that, during the 1970s and 1980s, the harvest began in September and continued well into October. By the 2000s, the third generation remembers that starting the harvest on 25 August, coinciding with Vilafranca\u2019s main festival, was still considered newsworthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Harvest Calendar That Keeps Moving Earlier<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The earlier start of the harvest is a reality we have clearly observed over the past twenty-five or thirty years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The planting of earlier-ripening French varieties, introduced mainly during the 1980s and 1990s, marked the first turning point. Later, the general rise in temperatures extended this shift to practically every variety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting the harvest in early August is no longer news. In recent years, some wineries in the Pened\u00e8s have even begun harvesting at the end of July. In 2026, the first grapes in the region were picked on 22 July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those more staggered harvests, when Macabeo and Xarel\u00b7lo reached their peak between the first and second weeks of September, are now a thing of the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We picked Moneu on 19 August and, the following day, the Macabeo had already passed its optimum point, while the Xarel\u00b7lo from the lower areas was approaching it. By contrast, the Xarel\u00b7lo from the higher vineyards was still approximately one and a half degrees behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was not until 28 August that we harvested the Xarel\u00b7lo and Malvasia de Sitges<\/a><\/strong> from the high-altitude vineyards at Subal, near Pontons. The White Carignan was picked on 31 August and, on 1 September, we harvested the Sumoll from the vineyard next to the winery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This difference in ripening highlights the importance of altitude. Higher vineyards, combined with late-ripening or ancestral varieties such as Garnacha and Sumoll, give us valuable extra time in the face of rising temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today we are bringing the main part of the 2026 harvest to an end. Only the Forcada, planted at 650 metres above sea level, remains. We will allow it to ripen for another couple of weeks before picking it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heat During the Day\u2014and at Night<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sustained heat, with high temperatures both during the day and at night, together with more than fifteen consecutive torrid nights, means that ripeness levels can change dramatically in just four days. In the mountain vineyards, this process is slightly delayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a few years ago, we barely spoke about tropical nights, and even less about torrid nights. Today, they are part of our everyday vocabulary: a tropical night is one in which the temperature does not fall below 20 \u00b0C, while during a torrid night the minimum temperature remains above 25 \u00b0C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heat traditionally associated with the \u201cdog days\u201d of summer\u2014two, three or five days of intense heat in July\u2014has given way to longer and recurring heatwaves. Night-time temperatures are just as important as daytime temperatures, because the plant has no cooler hours in which to slow down its respiration and recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All this causes ripening to become more concentrated and shortens the harvest period. To pick the grapes at the right moment, we need many more people working simultaneously. Years ago, we harvested with teams of 25 or 30 people; later, this increased to 40 or 50. Today, we need between 90 and 100 pickers<\/strong> from the very first day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

A Healthy Crop<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From a qualitative point of view, the grapes are in excellent sanitary condition. The lack of rain and the heat have considerably reduced the pressure from fungal diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biodynamic <\/strong>management of our vineyards also plays an important role. By encouraging biodiversity, maintaining living soils and working in harmony with the natural cycles of the vineyard, we aim to strengthen the plants and help them cope with increasingly demanding climatic conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The winter rains allowed the plants to recover, resulting in good vegetative growth, abundant flowering and very good fruit set. It had been years since we had seen such high potential crop levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the dry spring prevented the berries from growing in size. The grapes are smaller, and the bunches weigh less than we expected after such a good fruit set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvesting While It Is Still Dark<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another aspect we have had to change is the harvesting schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As always at Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0, the grapes are harvested by hand<\/strong>. This allows us to select each bunch in the vineyard and handle the grapes with the greatest care from the very beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We used to start at eight in the morning. Later, we moved the start time forward to seven or six. Today, extreme heat forces us to begin in the early hours of the morning, around four o\u2019clock, and finish between midday and one in the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We do this to protect the people working in the vineyards and to ensure that the grapes reach the winery as fresh as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This change has also altered the organisation of the winery. We start work much earlier, but we also finish earlier. The grapes arrive fresh from the early morning, and the must enters the winery in impeccable condition. In this respect, there are only advantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A New Way of Interpreting the Grapes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our winemaking approach has also evolved. Climate change forces us to make decisions earlier in order to preserve acidity, freshness and balance in the wines. At the same time, the market is looking for lighter, more aromatic and fluid wines, with growing interest in whites and sparkling wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This does not mean abandoning great red wines or classic styles. We will continue to produce them, although in some vintages in smaller quantities, and to set aside bottles that will allow us to build a historical record of different vintages. These are wines that honour the legacy of our region and the efforts of our ancestors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, the oenological parameters of the 2026 harvest are very good, with a good balance between alcohol and acidity. But in a context of extreme heat, a plot can suddenly surprise you with a potential alcohol level of 14% and force you to act quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Par\u00e9s Balt\u00e0, we have been experiencing this transformation since the early 2000s, observing, collecting data and adapting every decision to the vineyard and the winery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These changes have given rise to new wines and have forced us to reassess many of our perspectives. They also explain our own evolution as grape growers and winemakers in response to climatic and consumer changes that are here to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The future we spoke about a few years ago is already here. In the Pened\u00e8s, the harvest has shifted decisively towards August and, in some areas and for certain varieties, it already begins at the end of July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The calendar has changed, but so has the way we work, interpret the vineyard and make our wines. Our enthusiasm, however, is the same as it was on the very first day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Vendimia<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pied<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Malvasia<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How climate change is reshaping the hand harvest: earlier dates, hotter nights and new ways to preserve freshness and balance.
\n…<\/p>\n

Read More… from 2026 Harvest: The Future Is Already Here<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":298927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[555,571],"tags":[626],"class_list":["post-298954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-notes","category-viticulture","tag-pares-balta-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298954","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=298954"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":298961,"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298954\/revisions\/298961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paresbalta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}