2024 Port Harvest Officially Underway

[Andy Velebil]

I saw Ramos Pinto just picked their first red Ports grapes of the vintage. The first producer I've seen say so (probably not the first though). Hope it all goes well for everyone! If you hear how things are progressing, please post it here.

[Eric Ifune]

Port grapes? Or Douro?
Harvest started in Madeira about a week ago.

[Al B.]

White grapes are being picked in Carcavelos. The grapes aren’t used for Port today, but they were in 1756…

[Eric Ifune]

White grapes are being picked in Carcavelos. The grapes aren’t used for Port today, but they were in 1756…

Because Pombal owned the vineyards!

[Frederick Blais]

I was in Pinhao this week, I did walk around and taste somes grapes. Overall quality seemed nice and healty. I haven't seen the valley so green in August in a long time. Let's see if the skins will have the required concentration to make high quality Vintage Port!

[Roy Hersh]

I have waited to post, because I did not want to jinx things, but we are deep enough into picking, that I believe it is safe. From several sources in all three sub-regions of Douro, this vindima is looking to be one of the finest in quite a few years. Right now, temps during the days have been in the low-mid 30s C. and at night really cool.

In spite of that, long term weather forecasts for the next week or two, currently show no signs of rain. Knock on wood! But the phenolics have been really impressive across all 3 sub-regions. Excitement for table wines is palpable. Acidity levels vary, some are saying they wish there was a little bit more, as harvest of whites is complete in lots of Baixo Corgo properties and some have just started reds, and as you know this is the coolest of the 3 areas. Those in Cima Corgo are already on reds, with very few exceptions. Douro Superior: I have talked to only 1 top producer and they are excited for the outlook for their Ports ... which I have heard from nearly everyone I have spoken with.

Since 2015-2019, a great run ... (not enough credit is given to 2018 and 2019 ... due to Covid, but that handful of harvests produced some outstanding VPs; but then 2020 was good but across the board certainly not great, 2021 fresher, but for my palate 2020 was better in terms of bandwidth and LT age ability ... however 2021 white ... but especially red wines, are excellent! 2022, I've so far only had Nacional, Noval and Passadouro, but have a couple of dozen bottles squirreled away so far and resting, to taste in the next month or so ... but from the trade talk ... "a very difficult year." and "not all that exciting" and "it will be difficult to sell" but I will not letting those impressions cloud my judgement.

Last year, I've had only a couple of early cask samples that were nice, but not up to the quality of those from the end of the last decade, but it is ridiculously early for any real judgement. But the 2024, has some of the best POTENtIAL due to the slow even ripening and great weather during the entirety of the growing season (with miniscule exceptions) and the harvest *so far* ... could be one of the greats, if things continue on the current path and there are no surprises with weather. Fingers crossed. I will be back up there for a few weeks beginning a week from today then again two weeks later. Red grapes are starting to be picked at places closer to Porto and Quinta do Crasto, as a prime example of that at the moment, they have all whites completed there too.

More news to come ... I need to see it for myself and not just hearsay. But I speak to those I trust in the three sub-regions for their outlook on vintage and excitement is definitely in the air.

[Frederick Blais]

Just came back from another 2 days in the Douro. I've heard more or less the same thing as you Roy. Exceptionnal quality for the Douro reds, variabilities for the whites. Volume and quality is at hand and the slow ripening makes things easier in terms of logistics. The good weather forecast makes things promising for the Port wine as the best still need to develop sugar and concentration but it could well be the most regular and consistant Vintage year since 2017 IMO.

Also spent some days in the Dao, there the irregularity of the weather pattern affected the growers. They did not seem to be as excited as in the Douro.

[Roy Hersh]

Well Fred, 2017 was not such an even vintage. If memory serves me ... at after 2 am ... 2017 was the earliest harvest in written history, IIRC!

So, I'd suggest tempering the comment and just saying, it may turn out to the be best vintage for Port (White, Tawny, Ruby and maybe even Vintage) in at least half a decade, if not much more. If things continue on the current path ... qualitatively, we "could" be talking about 2011. Of course this is a ridiculous statement in mid-September with not a single grape picked for Port yet. But let's keep a sense of humor here!

[Andy Velebil]

I tend to prefer to wait until the end of September or early October before believing predictions. Too many things can change.

[Frederick Blais]

Well Fred, 2017 was not such an even vintage. If memory serves me ... at after 2 am ... 2017 was the earliest harvest in written history, IIRC!

So, I'd suggest tempering the comment and just saying, it may turn out to the be best vintage for Port (White, Tawny, Ruby and maybe even Vintage) in at least half a decade, if not much more. If things continue on the current path ... qualitatively, we "could" be talking about 2011. Of course this is a ridiculous statement in mid-September with not a single grape picked for Port yet. But let's keep a sense of humor here!

My comment on the 2017 was more regarding the quality of the wines than the how the harvest unfolded.

Yes let's keep our sense of humor!!! saying that not a single grape picked for Port yet is quite funny :)

[Eric Ifune]

I was chatting with Rute Monteiro in Las Vegas over the weekend. I asked about the 2024 vintage and she said that Luis Sotomayor was very high on it. Most probably a Vintage year and better than 16 or 17.

[Glenn E.]

better than 16 or 17

Better than 2017 is high praise!

[Andy Velebil]

Everyone I spoke to while there the past week was very happy with it.

[Roy Hersh]

Shocking, shocking I say.

However, things have changed. Many quintas had completed their picking towards the end of September and at least as many had not. There was still picking and grapes in lagares the 2nd week of the month of October. It rained several times and for a few days in a row. Most did not continue harvesting when it rained. Some were fortunate to have strong winds, which will help dry out the interior of bunches, while triage tables were quite busy and strategic while we were in Douro again. Since my last tour a few weeks ago, I had to pop back up to the Douro for an event this past weekend.

Everyone is now on the other side of the harvest. Overall, the comments were very positive, not only for table wine grapes but the phenolic ripenesss achieved for those that waited to finish after the rains. It did get somewhat sunny and warm again, but there were intermittent clouds and scattered showers too.

Will it be a classic year (if such a thing really exists anymore ... as many are producing small quantities every single year nowadays, even with the level of Beneficio decreaseing so drastically from '23 to '24). But MANY are saying that they are very excited for 2024 Ports. We'll have to wait until the winter of 2026, to see how it all turns out. Yet the vibe is very positive, but there were some skeptics for sure, (Joao at Infantado being a vocal one!). So, we can wait and see. The last VP year potentially this good was certainly pre-Covid; depending on how you view the trio of 2017, 2018 and 2019' all quite good and with varying levels of bandwidth of what was declared by producers.

There is no question that with diminishing demand globally, Gen-Z having little to no interest in wine, and less so Port; Beneficio with a huge fluctuation downward this year and the behind-the-scenes sentiment of a serious downward cycle ... I believe the wave of the near future (call it a decade) is going to continue to see smaller quantity of cases produced by even the big six ... and that the old days with 10,000 cases released ... long gone and possibly for good.