Heat advances the harvest in Mallorca: grape picking has already begun on July 21st

PalmaThe high temperatures have advanced this year's grape harvest in Mallorca, to the point that some wineries have started receiving grapes from July 21st, almost a month earlier than was usual just a decade ago. The first varieties to enter the wineries are mainly white, and the sector assures that, for the moment, both the sanitary state and the quantity of grapes are satisfactory.

“For more than ten years we have observed the grape harvest advancing. Before, we didn't start harvesting white varieties until August 15th, and this year, on July 21st, grapes have already entered the wineries. It is a consequence of climate change,” explained the manager of Vi de la Terra de Mallorca, Marina Vera.

The advance of the grape harvest is not just a matter of the calendar. Heatwaves force wineries to make technical decisions to determine the most appropriate time to pick the grapes. According to Vera, high temperatures hinder proper ripening because during these heat episodes there is not enough temperature difference between day and night.

This situation makes grape growers have to pay special attention to the evolution of the grapes to find the balance between ripening and sugar level, which ultimately conditions, among other factors, the alcoholic graduation of the wine.

A record harvest for some wineries

Some wineries have already noted a particularly significant advance. Bodegas Ribas began the 2026 harvest on July 21, a date that, according to the winery itself, could become the earliest in its history.

In Son Antem, they started harvesting on July 22, also a record date for the winery, while at AVA Vi they point out that the advance is particularly evident in some foreign varieties. This is the case of chardonnay, which has been brought forward by seven days this year.

The first harvests have been concentrated mainly on white varieties. From Vi de la Terra de Mallorca they assure that, from a health point of view, the grapes are in a "very correct" state and that, for the moment, a good quantity of production is also maintained.

Towards wines with less alcohol

The advance of the grape harvest also coincides with a change in the preferences of some consumers. According to the manager of Vi de la Terra de Mallorca, new generations show a greater inclination for wines with moderate alcohol content.

"There is a trend towards consuming less alcohol and producing lighter, fresher wines," pointed out Vera.

This change in demand may also find a response in the consequences of climate change on the vineyard. Faced with increasingly high temperatures, advancing the harvest can help prevent the grapes from accumulating excessive sugar levels and, therefore, the resulting wines from reaching excessively high alcohol levels.

In this context, the Regulatory Council of Vi de la Terra de Mallorca is already working to reduce the minimum alcohol content required for its wines. Currently, the regulation sets a minimum of 10.5 degrees for whites, 11 degrees for rosés, and 11.5 degrees for reds.

European regulations generally establish that a wine produced in Spain must have at least nine degrees of alcohol to be considered as such. Therefore, the Regulatory Council is now working to streamline the necessary procedures to adapt the minimums of the geographical indication to new consumption trends and the conditions facing the wine sector.

The Mallorcan grape harvest thus faces a new season marked by a double transformation: a calendar that is increasingly advanced due to extreme temperatures and a growing demand for fresher, lighter wines with less alcohol.