This year we finished the harvest on 19th October. We brought back the last cases full with the bunches of Cabernet Franc. After this we concentrate on the cellar and the work there, since the wines ferment and age continuously.
In 2017 Villány wine region and our winery closed a very good year. This year the extremities of the weather were visible too. For example the hail which hit Feketehegy quite early, before the blossoming period, but luckily did no serious damage. Also, the early spring frost which threatened our lower areas (Ördögárok, Feketehegy), against which we applied fumigation.
Beside this in 2017 short-term temperature fluctuation, and the great amount of rainstorms and showers and the long period of these between early spring to autumn were also frequent symptom. However the weather (number of sunny hours, total heat, spread of rain, humidity) was beneficial to the development of grape, phenology phases, but because of the colder winter at some varieties the gemmation was a little slower. At blossoming the weather was advantageous, in this year it was easier to protect the grape against affections and pests. Burgeon matched to the many year average then the process of ripening quickened so the time of harvest happened earlier at most of the varieties. We harvested the grape from every vineyards healthy and with very advantageous parameters.
In September we started the harvest at the winery with the early varieties. This year’s vintage was hopeful, it was visible on the early varieties, and the late varieties also ripen nicely, so after the white and rosé varieties the reds came quickly. The ending variety was Cabernet Franc which was very important for us because of Villányi Franc. We think that from the healthy and fruity grapes of this year excellent wines will be made.
„The year was ideal with high average temperature, sufficient rain. Thanks to the organic pest control we apply for years the skin of the grape became so flexible and hard, that the grape itself is able to protect against pests so we had no problem with this either. Even we were surprised by that extreme fruit flavour we felt in the grape berries. Beside the optimally ripe bunches we harvested this also gives confidence in the wines of this vintage.”
Attila Gere
