Wine harvest is conveyed through 6 wineries & Estates from Northern Greece to the Southern and Northern Aegean and the Peloponnese.
This year’s wine harvest “ran” with difficulty, with the conditions being extremely demanding and climate change evolving into a global threat bringing about a sequel of damages in most wine-growing areas of the country. The lack of rainfalls especially during the winter like by extension, the snowfalls in the mountain masses On the other hand, the prolonged rainfalls especially in spring clearly lumbered the majority of vineyards as well as the heat waves that subsequently followed at the summer season.
A particularly demanding and adverse 2023 vintage, fortunately however most winemakers and oenologists report from different estates and viticultural zones with dynamic, “expressive” wines.
Αrtemis Karamolegos Winery, Santorini
One of the most demanding vintages of recent years seemed to be this year’s, testing both the endurance of the raw material and human resources as neither the quantity nor the quality of the grapes could be estimated until the very last moment of wine harvest.
The 2022-2023 growing season was characterized by a mild winter with limited rainfall, which did not exceed 40 mm until December. Winds occurred in the spring without significantly affecting the development of plant buds. The following period was developed with normal temperature and precipitation levels for the season. The region’s unexpected hailstorm on April 23 largely determined the year and its yields, causing production to drop by 40-80% in certain regions.
Etesian winds made their presence felt at the beginning of August, allowing the gradual ripening of the fruit. Harvesting started for Artemis Karamolegos Winery on August 16 with the Athiri variety, 5 days later than 2022 and continued with the Assyrtiko and Mavrotragano varieties. It then evolved gradually and was completed with the Aidani variety on September 5. Total production appears to be the lowest since 2022, with yields reaching a reduction of 50-90% depending on the region. The price of grapes adjusted to the increased demand and exceeded by 25% that of the 2022 wine harvest.
The selection of the harvest day of the vine plots and the strict sorting of the raw material led to an excellent result.The wines produced respect the typicality of the variety both in their aromatic profile and in concentration along with structure. The characteristic freshness of Assyrtiko, which is due to the high acidity, is in perfect balance with the alcohol, confirming that Assyrtiko is a variety adapted to withstand even the most adverse conditions, perfectly in harmony with the environment of Santorini.
Domaine Nikolaou, Nemea
This year’s wine harvest in Nemea finally left us with satisfaction despite all the adversities and challenges posed by climate change. The lack of a normal winter with unusually high temperatures and insufficient snowfall in the mountains was followed by prolonged periods of rainfall in May and June, creating ideal conditions for the development of downy mildew, especially in the early and sensitive varieties.
The heatwaves in early July further reduced production by slowing down the normal growth and ripening of the grapes. The rains at the beginning of September delayed the already late harvest of Agiorgitiko but did not affect the quality of the grapes.
The year of 2023 is considered demanding and difficult viticultural and the quantity reduced but the final the result justifies the efforts of the winery staff with its full concentration, fruity character and balanced acidity.
Ktima Pavlidis, Drama
A few days after the Fifteenth of August, the clocks struck 10 p.m. and the harvesters of Pavlidis Estate are in the privately owned vineyards of the estate with the sole purpose of harvesting grapes that are ripe for the season! The white Sauvignon blanc grapes are the ones that first reached the optimum level of ripeness and triggered the start of the 2023 vintage! According to the Agronomist and Vineyard Manager of the estate, Ioannis Chronis, this year’s harvest is about a week late and the quantity of grapes reduced by 10-15% compared to the 2022 wine harvest.
The remarkable temperature differences between day and night in the vineyards and the harvesting of the grapes during the evening hours played a decisive role in keeping the quality of the grapes at a high level!
Pavlidis Estate started the practice of night harvesting in 2005. All the varieties of the privately owned vineyards, located in Kokkinogeia and Perihora in Drama, are harvested in the evening hours. The choice of the area where the vineyards were planted is due to its geographical configuration, where it is surrounded by three large mountain ranges, Falakro, Menikio and Paggaio mountain. The cool winds that come from the north work beneficially as reduce the humidity levels, thus also the possible diseases in the vineyard, while at the same time the grapes maintain their natural acidity and aromas.
In the summer months, there are large temperature differences between day and night, up to 15°C. The conditions during the night in the harvest seem ideal for the grapes and the harvesters.
The grapes are transported to the winery using a refrigerated truck. The crates will remain in special refrigerators in the production area for approximately 8 hours, so as to ensure the minimum possible strain on the grapes, which will pass through a double sorting bank in the morning hours. The estate’s specialized staff under the experienced guidance of the Winemaker and Production Manager, Thanasis Exarchou, will hand-pick the appropriate grapes and then the vinification processes will follow.
Akritos Oinos Winery, Lesvos
This year has been one of the most challenging years we have experienced. The winter was mild with quite a few rainfalls. Rainfall in the October – December quarter was 140mm and the average temperature from 12.0 to 17.1°C. Almost the same climatic conditions also prevailed in the first quarter of 2023 where rainfall was low and temperatures for the season were high. In the spring there were some remarkable rains but also unusually low temperatures for the season, which resulted in the delay in the development of the buds of the stumps.
On May 8, 2023, there was a frost in the early morning, as a result of which several plants “burned”, whose sprouts, due to the lateness of the year, were still in their initial stage.
For one week in June there was permanent cloudiness with rain and high humidity, resulting in the appearance in several areas of powdery mildew, which spread very rapidly. Due to the rains and high temperatures there was an excessive growth of the shoots and additional cultivation care was required.
In July and August, the prolonged heatwaves were unusual for Lesvos, which is cooled by the Aegean melt, resulting in the further decline of the harvest, since the photosynthesis of the plants was interrupted.
Powdery mildew made plant protection demanding and the third generation of the eudaimida, due to climatic conditions, required additional interventions to avoid the destruction of production.
In conclusion, it was a very difficult year. However, looking at the rest of the wine-growing regions of Greece, we can refer that in Lesvos the conditions were more favorable.
Those who were daily in the vineyards and knew, could cope with the difficulties of the year. Spring rains helped increase production, but only in healthy vineyards. In general, a 30% reduction in total production is expected.
Αlpha Estate, Amyntaio
2023 is undoubtedly characterized as a particularly demanding year with significant challenges. Therefore, in this, the constantly changing environment, we were called with regard to the climatic conditions to manage the viticulture season with valuable tools, the deep knowledge of viticulture, the special requirements of the wine harvest, cultivated varieties and the special microclimate of each vineyard plot and with a view to our uninterrupted commitment to creating excellent quality grape production.
Weather conditions during the winter period were particularly mild with low rainfall, non-existent snowfall and relatively high temperatures for the zone. The initial estimate for an early morning was overturned by heavy rains that began in the second half of April and continued throughout May and into mid-June. In addition, while the temperatures started relatively high for the season, then May and the beginning of June were particularly cool.
A significantly dry and hot summer followed with intense metabolic activity of the vine and the significant water reserves of the previous months were quickly exhausted. The water stress appeared early and for this reason the strategy of controlled irrigation is one of the great demands of quality management for this viticultural year which implies qualitatively and quantitatively increased work in the vineyard to manage these extreme conditions.
In addition, the increased humidity conditions from the spring rains resulted in great pressure on vine phytosanitary issues and contributed to the fact of even greater dedication and especially increased taking of preventive plant protection measures. Spawning, removing gluttons, top dressing, offer balanced growth and nutrition to the plant. In addition, foliage management techniques such as selective and timed leaf removal improve the microclimate of the vine.
Preventive plant protection respectfully follows the needs of the crop and ensures a high quality production potential. The balanced configuration of the hectare yield with a balanced application of green harvesting and the continuous removal of weeds exclusively by mechanical method, serves not only the unique quality of our grapes but also the undivided respect for the environment of the ecosystem of Amyntaio. The application of ideal balance of the leaf surface and the management of production height achieved through green harvesting, were some of the procedures that took place just before the beginning of the wine harvest.
The ripening progressed extremely well. The early white varieties ripened on the 1st day of September, marking a ten-day delay, while the reds from the end of the same month, in which we are following their ripening process.
Tselepos Wines, Santorini
This year’s wine harvest appeared to be a difficult task. Climate change, one of the major global threats, has brought upheavals and the extreme weather events that occur more and more often have a negative effect on viticulture.
This year was special. While the winter was mild, several difficulties arose in the spring with two frosts and one hailstorm threatening the fragile buds and shoots. More specifically, the hailstorm in April caused great damage to production in the largest part of the island and especially in Pyrgos, where most of our vines are located, with the pressure of downy mildew throughout the growing season.
The hail was followed by continuous and heavy rains which gave way to great heat and rain in June worsening the already difficult conditions. The widespread heatwave shocked the climates and thus the ripening of the grapes was delayed, resulting in a late harvest after the 15th of August.
The consequence of all the above is the significantly reduced production, up to 40-50% losses in the vineyards and like most producers, it remains to be seen if this is something that will affect the next wine harvest as well.
Regarding the quality of the grapes, the first samples are very encouraging! With the exception of the usual uneven ripening in Santorini, this is a vintage with excellent aromatic potential, satisfactory acidity and a balanced profile, with minimal botrytis attack on the grapes. A year full of challenges and unexpected weather phenomena, which nevertheless promises high quality results in our glasses!
Yannis Tselepos emphasizes that despite the difficulties, the professional wine producers have not been afraid of anything and he states optimistically that with proper work at the winery, we can expect very expressive and typical wines this year!
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