The grape harvest approaches in Ronda and anxious eyes are being kept on the weather situation over the next couple of weeks.
A hot August – when isn’t it hot in August? – and a lack of rainfall during the winter and spring means that the grapes are in danger of suffering drought stress or dehydration. The plants have no reserves of moisture due to the lack of rainfall and the intense heat could dry the leaves and this would leave the fruit without protection.
This in turn could lead to dehydration or, at worst, the grapes could start drying out. The next two weeks are considered crucial.
Last year, the harvest was brought forward to August 25th and, if the plants are mature, the same could happen this year. Currently, the prediction is for a crop similar to last year, which was around 1.5 million kilos of grapes resulting in about 1.2 million bottles of wine, mostly red.
The wine industry in Ronda has experienced a bit of a boom in recent years.