2019 Harvest – Vlassides Vineyards

2019 was a year characterized by a cold winter with very high rainfall in our area; a very uncommon phenomenon for Cyprus (about 1200 mm), with average harvest temperatures up to 2 degrees lower than in 2018. This resulted in the delay of the phenolic stages of the vineyard (bud burst, flowering, veraison, maturation) and for this reason harvest begun during the 2nd week of August.

In the summer of 2019, maturation took place in the ideal harvest temperatures (Average) Minimum: 18.7°C (8/2019), 15.5°C (9/2019), Maximum: 33°C (8/2019) 31°C (9/2019), and this provided us with exceptional organoleptic characteristics, especially for the Sauvignon blanc, Xynisteri, Yiannoudi and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The damaged grapes by lobesia botrana larvae (grapevine moth), was the main issue we faced at the vineyard, the effects of which we dealt on time and effectively, in order to ensure the health of our grapes and the smooth maturation of all varieties, white and red.

In general, this year’s white wines are characterised by intense varietal aromas, which evolve during the tasting, with ideal acidity and cool aftertaste. As far as our red varieties, there was a delay between the technological and phenolic maturation. To achieve the desirable quality result, we decided to harvest the red varieties at the peak of their phenolic maturation. The delayed harvest and the partial desiccation of the grapes led to an increased sugar content which resulted in a wine with an elevated alcohol content. The precise extraction of phenolic compounds as well as the management of the oxidative ageing in oak barrels, are expected to produce red wines characterised by concentrated fruit aromas, mature tannins and rich body.