Bumper Crop - 15.08.2008

The Tenerife grape harvest will improve by two million kilos of grapes this year, despite gloomy predictions only a few months ago.

According to the first poll carried out by the Cabildo the bumper 2008 crop will widely exceed the 3.34 million kilos that were collected during the past year. The areas of Tacoronte and La Orotava Valley represent the biggest recoveries of up to 100%.

The Tenerife wine growers will collect this year some 5.4 million kilos of grapes, according to preliminary estimates of the Cabildo.

The president of the association of ‘Viticultores and Bodegueros de Canarias’ , Juan Jesus Mendez, however, is more optimistic and thinks that production can reach seven million kilos. In any case, the projections suggested far exceeds the 3.34 million of 2007.

 

According to data supplied the region of Tacoronte Acentejo will collect about 1.5 million kilos of grapes, compared with 873,975 pounds the previous year (72% more). The harvest began last weekend in coastal areas, the fruit is healthy and matured properly, the harvest is ten days ahead of schedule.

 

The same conditions exist in the Valle de La Orotava, the current forecast is that they will collect one million kilos of grapes, roughly double what was produced last year.

 

A similar harvest is expected in the region Icod, with a forecast of a 50% improvement over 2007, when the amount of grapes harvested was just over 650,000 kilograms. The fruit is healthy, in general, the production of the vineyards of the lower areas are ahead by one week.

 

With regard to the region de Abona, less affected by heat waves last year, the harvest will produce 30% more fruit than previously, 1.2 million pounds were harvested in 2007-just over - 900,000 pounds, of which 40,000 have already been collected from the strip nearest the coast.

 

Finally, in the valley of Güímar harvests have reached so far just over 14,000 kilos of grapes. According to its Regulatory Board, the grape of this region presents the same characteristics as the de Abona on "high quality, excellent health and only a slight ailment caused by the heat wave" of two months ago. It’s expected to be collect some 700,000 pounds, 70% more than during 2007.