AFTER THREE YEARS OF SEVERE DROUGHT, CROP SIZES IN DRY-FARMED VINEYARDS DECREASE, BUT THE QUALITY OF THE WINES REMAINS HIGH

A TOTAL OF 46,107,918 KG OF GRAPES WERE PRODUCED IN THE 2024 HARVEST, 40% LOWER THAN THE RECENT AVERAGE AND A 14% DROP COMPARED WITH 2023

With all the figures for the 2024 harvest now in, the Jumilla Wine Council has announced a record drop in grape production with a total of 46,107,918 kg of grapes produced within the Jumilla appellation. This is a drop of 14% compared with 2023 and a significant decrease compared with the average of the last few years. It is the smallest crop size ever recorded in the Jumilla appellation.

In this 2024 vintage, the beginning of the grape harvest was brought forward to the last week in July, making it the earliest-ever harvest for the earliest-ripening varieties (the appellation’s whites and the Grenache, Tempranillo and Syrah red varieties). As for Monastrell, rain arrived as it was approaching an early full ripeness at the beginning of September, which slowed down ripeness completion and delayed the harvest till late September. As a result, excellent phenolic ripeness was achieved in the Monastrell grapes.

The record small harvest came as no surprise to the Jumilla appellation wineries, who had anticipated a meagre crop earlier in the vine cycle, after seeing how their dry-farmed vines (which make up the majority of the vineyards in the appellation) either failed to shoot or dried out directly as a consequence of not having the possibility to implement emergency irrigation measures. In order to provide aid to Murcia’s dry-farmed vineyards, an essential factor for sustainability in the region and ensuring a protective barrier against desertification, the different appropriate authorities need to reach an agreement on the provision of emergency irrigation, an issue which remains unresolved to this day.

After a nerve-shredding vine cycle during which things seemed to go from bad to worse, the wineries were very pleasantly surprised to discover that the wines of this 2024 vintage showed great potential and aromatic expression. These are very refined, elegant wines.

…the wines of this 2024 vintage showed great potential and aromatic expression. These are very refined, elegant wines.

Contrary to what might have been expected in such a dry vintage, the average sugar and alcohol levels turned out to be no higher than in other years, and in some cases were even lower, a consequence of less vine foliage, early drying-out and reduced photosynthesis.

Once again, and despite the tough conditions in the vineyards caused by worsening drought conditions, high summer temperatures and massive, generalized outbreaks of pest attacks (considered of only secondary importance a few years ago), such as green mosquito and the proliferation of rabbits (causing devastation in many vineyards), the condition of the grapes was excellent. In the Jumilla appellation, where climatic conditions are ideal for organic farming, it came as no surprise that the grapes harvested were in perfect condition. For this 2024 vintage, many producers opted not to use a sorting table, given the small number of bunches per vine and the perfect condition of the fruit as it arrived at the winery.

In a vintage with so little rain (average rainfall of 130 liters), the timing of the picking, the  staggered phases of harvesting and the arrival of rain in the later stages of the cycle proved crucial in guaranteeing another high quality vintage for the Jumilla wineries.

About the Jumilla DOP

 The Jumilla region has a wine-growing tradition dating back some 3,000 years, evidenced by the discovery of vestiges of vitis vinifera in the region (the oldest in Europe), along with utensils and archaeological remains.

The appellation’s vines are planted at elevations ranging from 320 to 980 meters within mountain ranges rising as high as 1,380 meters. These form the boundaries of the appellation, from the extreme south-east of Albacete (taking in the municipalities of Hellín, Montealegre del Castillo, Fuente Álamo, Ontur, Albatana and Tobarra) to the north of Murcia province with the municipality of Jumilla. The appellation covers more than 20,000 hectares (77 square miles) of vines, most of them dry-farmed bush vines grown predominantly on limestone soils.

Old vines in the Jumilla DOP cover more than 20% of the total surface area, with the Monastrell grape variety making up most of it (90% of the old vines). It is estimated that a large proportion of these old vines are ungrafted and cover at least 1,000 hectares, 89% of which are planted with Monastrell, followed by 6% Airén and 3% Garnacha Tintorera.

The climatic conditions in Jumilla, with annual rainfall barely reaching 300mm and over 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, are highly conducive to organic farming, which is widely practiced in the Jumilla appellation. More about us