Viñedos de Aldeanueva S.Coop. officially begins the 2025 grape harvest today, Monday, August 18, starting with the Tempranillo Blanco variety —true to tradition—. Picking will be carried out at night, beginning at 6:00 a.m. and expected to conclude around 10:00 a.m.
All grapes harvested will be delivered to our own winery, Fincas de Azabache, renowned for crafting premium wines. This year’s Tempranillo Blanco is showing outstanding quality and excellent health, though sugar levels indicate a potential alcohol content about half a degree higher than ideal. Our technical team has carefully selected the earliest-ripening plots for today’s harvest.
Overall, forecasts suggest a smaller yield in 2025, particularly among red varieties, due to several challenges faced throughout the growing season. In fact, it is expected to be one of the smallest harvests in volume in the last four decades.
On August 18, harvesting will be limited exclusively to Tempranillo Blanco—the earliest-ripening variety in our vineyards and, within the Rioja Oriental region, also the most advanced of the denomination. Other white varieties, such as Viura and Verdejo, will remain on the vine for a few more days to reach optimal ripeness.
Regarding red grapes, the Cooperative is considering starting the harvest next week, depending on analytical results from the most advanced plots, especially in the case of Tempranillo Tinto.