Friday Fact: Hanging out
Did you know that the Loire Valley has one of the latest harvests of all wine-producing regions in France?
It takes an average of 120 days for grapes to ripen. In very warm years, winemakers in the Loire Valley may harvest earlier to prevent overripe fruit. In cooler years, they hope for a couple of extra dry, sunny weeks at the end of September and even into early October to give the grapes extra “hang time,” helping them reach optimal ripeness.
Typically, that range of harvest dates falls somewhere in September or October. However, this year, winemakers in the Loire Valley (as in many other regions of France) are expecting their earliest harvest ever. A few weeks ago, it was announced that for the first time in history, harvest may actually begin at the end of August!
The reason for this year’s early harvest is dry, hot weather that is above average for the summer growing season. It’s expected that growers in Muscadet will begin picking in the third week of August, followed by the harvesting of white wine grapes in Nantes, Anjou, Touraine and Saumur the following week. This is far ahead of schedule, with Muscadet typically never picked earlier than the first week of September.
The reds will be picked ahead of schedule, too, with harvest likely starting the second week of September. In the past, reds haven’t been ready to pick until late September or even early October.
With what has been deemed the earliest harvest on record, only time will tell how the changing weather conditions will impact the flavor profiles of the final wines. Once released, we imagine the 2011 vintage of Loire Valley wines will be a year to remember!