The grape harvest in the Alto and Medio Vinalopó regions of Alicante, Spain, started in mid-July, two weeks earlier than usual. The season will last until the end of December.

The early harvest is due to the heat during the day and at night and the rain in late May and early June, stated José Enrique Sánchez, a farmer, and president of the Grapes Department at the Asaja Alicante producer association. "The rain stops the growth of the grapes abruptly and the vineyards won't grow normally again until the temperature is stable. The grapes grow great with a temperature that ranges between 20 and 25 degrees. However, their growth will come to a halt when the temperature almost reaches 40 degrees in the morning and is higher than 30 degrees at night."

As a result of these circumstances, the yield of the early varieties is expected to drop by 15% to 20% to almost 40 million kilos. "The Italian-type grapes suffered the most from the cold at the end of May, but we still hope for good volumes this year. The red grapes are also ahead of schedule, but the color is certainly good for the time of year," Sanchez stated.

Apart from the inclement weather, the biggest problem these producers now face is the lack of personnel to bag the grapes. "We have a shortage of manpower throughout the year. In winter we lack tractor drivers or harvesters, and now we lack staff to wrap the bunches in bags. I currently have 80 people working, but I am missing 20. That slows down our work by almost a week because ideally the bunches should all be bagged by now," he added.

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com