Overcrowded bunches of Touriga Franca – risk of decay
Very good weather conditions during the flowering (warm temperatures and slow wind) originated a high rate of fertilized berries. This situation seldom occurs because during the month of May temperatures are unstable and there’s a high probability of rain.
This year, nearly all of the flowers of our bunches were fertilized. This becomes a big issue in varietals like Touriga Franca because its small little bunches get so packed, that when the raindrops go through the berries, they may cause the decay of the insider berries. The consequence of this is that these rotted bunches can’t be harvested. We crossed our fingers, expecting a fly attack that reduced the number of berries in the bunch but this did not happen and now we have too many berries in each bunch.
During the last years no problems of decay have occurred. This year the bunch is not so well protected but we hope the weather is by our side and doesn’t rain a couple of weeks before the harvest.
Thank you Eduardo for pointing this out.
Oscar
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Quevedo was founded in 1991 as a family owned business in the heart of the Douro valley, responding to the needs of the generations that preceded the associate founders. These ancestors were passionately dedicated to their vineyards and to the culture that surrounded the production of wine. Consequently, the company was created as a seamless marriage between the initial phase of production and the promotion and selling of their wines. Currently, the estate is comprised of 100 hectares located in the regions of Cima-Corgo and Douro Superior, producing both red and port wines from only the five traditional port grapes Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão and Tinta Barroca.