What can we expect from the 2022 vintage in Portugal?

For years, Portuguese winegrowers have been reporting a progression of drought in connection with climate change and the associated new challenges in viticulture. The 2022 growing season was no exception. At the Dow's weather station at Quinta do Bomfim, which belongs to the Symington port wine dynasty, just 114 millimetres of precipitation were recorded from January to July 2022 – this is the quantity that usually falls there in a single winter month. In the village of Pinhão in the same region, the mercury rose to a record high for the month of July: 47 degrees Celsius were measured. Due to the drought and heat, the 2022 harvest in the Douro Valley also began historically early. As early as August, grapes were foot trodden and crushed in the lagares of Quinta do Vesuvio - never before has this taken place earlier in the year at the centuries-old winery.