2024
After a very rainy autumn of 2023, the winter of 2024 continued the warm and very high rainfall trend, with most of the precipitation concentrated in February and March. The high temperatures of these months brought budbreak forward. The vine developed rapidly due to a hot April, which reached over 30ºC, something completely unusual in the area. The rainy trend continued for the rest of the spring, which was somewhat cooler than usual, but with very high fungal pressure. The team’s experience with such difficult years ensured that the vineyard maintained an optimal sanitary state. July and August were dry and extremely hot, which meant that water stress had to be controlled in a year as rainy as 2024. Harvest began on August 26 and finished with the white varieties on September 18. The reds arrived at the winery between September 19, when the Ribeira plot was harvested, and September 30, when the Osebe brancellao and Toro garnacha tintorera were picked.
2023
The winter was rainy, accumulating a large amount of precipitation from October 2022 to June 2023. Bud break was early, which, together with the high rainfall, meant that special demands had to be made on the management of each plot. The summer was cool and the extreme heat did not arrive until the end of August. The harvest was ahead of Ribeiro’s usual dates and also took place quickly. It began on August 22 and ended on September 15. Both in the vineyard and in the winery, all the grapes were selected cluster by cluster to ensure the exact ripening point and maximum quality in the winemaking process.
2022
The year 2022 will be remembered in Spain and precisely in Ribeiro for the heat waves and drought that occurred throughout the summer. The winter was quite dry, but normal in terms of temperatures. At the end of February, the trend changed: March and April were wet and cold. This delayed budbreak, but entailed extra work in terms of canopy control during several days with a risk of frost. The month of May was atypical as temperatures began to rise above 35º C and there was no rain. During the summer, especially in July and the first days of August, temperatures were extremely high, reaching over 40ºC for several consecutive days. Despite the extreme conditions, the vines adapted their physiological development to a dry and hot year. The white grape harvest began on August 30 and ended on September 12.
2021
The winter of 2021 was rainy, accumulating a large amount of precipitation from the end of January to the beginning of March. Budbreak came at the end of this month, combined with high rainfall, which meant that special demands had to be made on the management of each plot. Sunshine and warmth appeared at the end of July, facilitating optimal development of the vineyard. The year was heading towards an uncomplicated harvest until September, when first hail and then several days of rain made harvesting difficult. Both in the vineyard and in the winery, all the grapes were selected cluster by cluster to ensure the exact ripening point and maximum quality in the winemaking process. The harvest began on September 6 and ended on September 28. 2021 was a turning point in the development of Viña Meín – Emilio Rojo as it achieved the desired balance in the vineyard and showed the essence of future vintages.
2020
We can highlight the 2020 vintage for its atypical meteorology. The autumn and winter of 2020 were rainy, but also cold. Spring started with pleasant weather, which brought the cycle forward by 3 weeks, but the risk of frost was present until mid-April. The end of April and May accumulated a large amount of precipitation, as usual in the area. Particularly this year, the weather pressure was greater than usual, which meant that the vineyard required very precise and intense management to achieve good vine health. Fortunately, with the arrival of summer, the weather turned dry and several hot spells facilitated field work. The early harvest began on August 27 and ended on September 16. 2020 will be a vintage easy to remember for the challenge to which it subjected the team and for the experience it provided.
2019
The 2019 vintage began with dry, cold weather, including a few frosts. At the end of January, the tide turned with abundant rainfall until the arrival of spring. A rather dry May prevented any major fungal problems in the vineyard. A hot, dry summer with high temperatures and scarce rainfall in August allowed for healthy vineyard conditions until the end of the cycle without placing any significant water stress on the vines. The harvest began on September 9th and ended on October 3rd. It was a typical harvest in Galicia: sunny days broken up by a few rainy ones in between, which helped favor a slow harvest. Multiple harvests were carried out according to the individual plot and variety, ensuring each grape was at peak ripeness upon selection.
2018
2018 was a very complicated climatological year throughout the Ribeiro region. It began with a mild temperatured winter with little rain and hardly any frost in the first weeks of January. Spring brought high temperatures with a high level of environmental humidity caused by rain between April and the end of June. To mitigate the possible attacks of fungal diseases such as mildew and black-rot, we use specific preventive treatments in certain parts of the vineyard. Conditions improved from July with the arrival of dry weather and hardly any dampness. It remained that way until the harvest that took place in the first weeks of September. In general, the vintage was very good although it was reduced in quantity but not in quality.
