“It was a long cycle year, with no heat stroke, significant disease pressure, average rainfall values, but too much humidity or cold at some key times such as flowering or setting. After the set of berries a great harvest was predicted, which was believed until the eve of the harvest. Rainy weather in the final stages of maturation brought difficult but very correct decisions on our part. It may be said that there are wines from before and after the rains in the Dão. However, and for the first vintage of Domínio do Açor, a learning experience for all, we have wines at a level where the post rain is not noticeable. All the whites were picked before the rains. The red wines were picked between and after 3 distinct periods of rainfall, with a strong selection work”

LUÍS LOPES, CONSULTANT OENOLOGIST OF DOMÍNIO DO AÇOR

"Statistics reported a historic December 2021 and January 2022 in terms of drought and higher temperatures than in the previous 80 years. There was little rain in November, and it didn't rain again until the second week of March 2022. Although the winter was cold and harsh afterwards, it was somewhat unbalanced between weeks of intense cold and weeks of sunshine and above-normal temperatures. At the beginning of the growing season, up to 10 cm, there were significant rains and days of low temperatures at the end of April. Although there was no rain or other pressure for disease again, the second treatment was carried out in the first few days of May. First green operations since the end of April and throughout May. May began with afternoons with temperatures of up to 32ºC. Showers and foggy mornings preceded the week when flowering began, on week 19 (May). Rainy days in June, interspersed with warm days, allowed the pea-size berries develop well, the vegetation to grow and the bunches to close. Strong heat strokes for a few days at the close of the bunch and after defoliation. At the beginning of July, kaolin was applied to try to protect the plant from scald. July was the hottest month in 70 years. The excess and frequency with which the high temperatures were felt had a negative influence on the colouring, affecting homogeneity within the same bunch, especially in the Touriga Nacional, which even in August was still not very regular. When water was available, irrigations were carried out to try and minimise the impact of the heatwaves. Bical and Cerceal suffered a bit. August continued to be very hot, with daily temperatures always above 30ºC. In the last few days of August, coinciding with the start of the grape harvest, the mornings began cool. The heatwaves forced some watering of the most sensitive plants, such as Bical and Cerceal, as well as the newly planted Barcelo. The harvest is taking place with high pressure due to the weather. The whites were all picked without rain and also some reds, which despite their low alcohol content were probably very good in terms of flavour. Then it rained a lot at the worst moment, in the transition from finishing the whites to starting the other unripe reds, which needed to lose their vegetal precursors. Many red varieties were harvested in the rain. December was fortunately very rainy. Although warm. The cold is not expected to arrive until the beginning of 2023”

WINEMAKING DIRECTOR LUÍS LOPES

"The year began with cold and frost, despite a Christmas 2022 with high temperatures. January was cold and very rainy at the time of pruning. The 2022 whites and reds went to sleep for the winter, with malic acidity in the reds and sugar in the whites. Mid-January was sunnier, with temperatures between -2 and 8ºC, no rain and plenty of light. Pruning has finished. Shooting continues in early April. Dry weather and some cool mornings. A frost in mid-April slightly affected grafting. The first rains of the year (practically) in mid-April gave a boost to the first phytosanitary treatment. Interspersed with this weather were days of around 28 to 32ºC during April, twice already. The beginning of May precipitated flowering in week 18. We carried out field budding and grafting on week 22. All the flowering took place without rain. Then instabilities with rain from the end of week 20, up to and including week 22. With around 40-50mm of rain. In week 25, a heatwave is forecast for next weekend. The cluster is still on its way to closing. Week 27, the start of the Tinta Roriz veraison. Week 30 with immense heat and foggy mornings. Cool mornings and a high temperature range. The first fortnight of July with disease pressure. Third week: start of clearing the “tafulhos” (clusters of interlaced bunches). Very hot days at the beginning of August, which forced us to use kaolin as a preventative. On 10 August we carried out the first ripeness check. Mid-August with a heatwave of over 40ºC, forcing the harvest to begin. The harvest had 3 or 4 stops to wait for perfect ripeness. It was, however, a year of medium alcohols and slightly lower than normal acidity. We harvested all the best plots before it rained. Only the Tourigas and Roriz were harvested after a few days of showers, which did nothing to affect the quality of the fruit. With the harvest now over, mid-September brought days of abundant rain. September ended rather warmly, and October followed, with more than two weeks of around 30 degrees and always dry weather. The cold started in week 47, after weeks of good rain. The 2023 wines are all finished with sugars and malics before winter arrives."

WINEMAKING DIRECTOR LUÍS LOPES