2022 Vintage Port Declarations

Posted 8 May 2024

by Tony Carter And Dia Grigoriou DipWSET

The 2022 Port harvest can best be sumarised as producing small quantities of excellent Ports produced under some of the most challenging conditions ever recorded. Rainfall in the Douro was recorded as being 70% down on average between November 2021 and August 2022. Dry soils were exacerbated by higher-than-average temperatures. In July the Douro experienced the hottest temperature ever recorded in Portugal an astonishing 47C in Pinhao. The impact on the vines was significant and the bunches and berries were smaller than usual but despite this the vines produced grapes whose phenolic ripeness was advanced, and the thin skins of the Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca suggested we could produce wines with good structure.

Harvesting began in late August, which for many producers was the eariest harvest ever. The outlook changed in the first week of September when average daytime temperatures dropped which allowed maturations to progress more evenly and gradually. A short spell of rain interrupted the harvest but those producers who managed the picking well produced some excellent wines.The following declarations have been confirmed by the producers: