Vins de Provence projects higher harvest volumes than anticipated

By Lisa Riley

Published: 29 October, 2018

Vins de Provence has reported higher than anticipated volumes for this year’s harvest.

With the harvest complete in the majority of the Provence vineyard and coming to an end in areas where the grapes have ripened later, the trade body said the condition of the grapes were “excellent” and despite some disparities between areas, the volume would be “higher than anticipated”.

The first results showed areas with an increase in volume - in the Bouches-du-Rhône and along the coast, and others with lower volumes - in the Centre-Var, according to the harvest update released today by Vins de Provence.

While it was till too early to tell, in areas such as in the Var backcountry, the overall sense was that the harvest would be better than in 2017. However this would take another two months for the winemakers to confirm, it said.

In addition, Vins de Provence said the “excellent weather and health conditions” from August onwards had allowed producers to spread their harvests over time and to wait until the end of maturity, in almost every plot, on the back of which “a very high quality harvest” was expected.

After a year with high levels of rainfall, the harvest began at the end of August with “exceptional weather conditions”, with September having offered optimal conditions for the vines: sunny afternoons and cool evenings, where temperatures dropped to below 10°C.

A much welcomed mistral and a lack of rainfall meant the grapes were in “excellent condition at the time of picking”, it said.

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