Welcoming the 2025 Vintage after an old-fashioned Spanish winter
If you take a stroll through our vineyard last April, you’ll notice something unexpected: instead of the waist-high shoots we’re used to seeing by early April, the buds were just unfurling their first tender, lime-green leaves. For the first time in nearly two decades, “first shootings” (also known as bud break) were running a good three to four weeks behind what has become the new normal. The reason? This winter was a throwback—soaked soils, cool temperatures, and rainfall that seemed to arrive just as we finished cleaning our boots. In short: a winter our grandparents would recognize.
What “first shootings” mean in the life of a vine
Bud break marks the end of vine dormancy. Dormant buds swell and burst open, revealing delicate shoots that already contain the invisible beginnings of this year’s grape clusters. These tiny flower structures are starting to bloom now, in May, with time and care, become the fruit of the 2025 vintage.
The timing of bud break determines the pace of the entire growing season. When it shifts, so does everything else—flowering, fruit set, veraison, and harvest.
Why this stage is so important
Balancing Frost Risk and Ripeness
Early bud break increases vulnerability to spring frosts. Late bud break can narrow the window for full ripening before autumn rains arrive. The ideal timing gives growers much-needed flexibility on both ends of the season.
Yield Predictions Start Now
We can already begin estimating the potential crop size by counting the microscopic flower clusters on the new shoots. This helps us plan our canopy management and harvest logistics.
Healthier Vines, Healthier Grapes
Shoot spacing and internode length (the space between nodes on the shoot) influence canopy airflow and light exposure. Good spacing now helps prevent fungal diseases like powdery mildew later in the season.
How a traditional winter is shaping the 2025 Vintage
Water Reserves Fully Replenished
Following several dry years, last October, November, December and January 2026, brought sustained rainfall across much of Spain. Our soils are saturated to root depth, and reservoirs are topped up. This means our vines should navigate summer heat without undue stress, allowing for slow, even ripening and full flavor development.
Cooler Soils Delayed Bud Break
Grapevines rely on both temperature and light cues to awaken. This year’s repeated cold fronts kept soil temperatures low, delaying the vine’s internal “alarm clock.” It’s a phenological pattern that harkens back to the 1980s.
Later Bud Break Could Mean a Later Harvest
If the season unfolds under average conditions, we’ll likely harvest 14 to 21 days later than in recent years. That extra time can lead to fresher natural acidity and more balanced alcohol levels—something wine lovers appreciate.
A few challenges we’re managing
Mildew Alert
High humidity creates ideal conditions for downy and powdery mildew. We’ve begun early leaf thinning to improve airflow and switched some of our sulfur sprays to organic potassium bicarbonate, as well as horsetail, green nettle, russian comfrey slurries — those are gentler on beneficial insects.
Controlling Excess Vigor
Water abundance can lead to excessive shoot growth. We’re planning two rounds of shoot thinning (“suckering”) this year to direct the vine’s energy into fruit rather than foliage.
Minimizing Soil Compaction
Operating heavy equipment on wet soils can compact the ground and reduce root respiration. We’ve widened our permanent cover-crop alleys and are using lighter, rototillers and cultivators to reduce pressure on the soil.
Highlights from our vineyard practices
Regenerative Cover Crops
In addition to vetch and clover, we’ve sown phacelia and crimson clover to attract pollinators and improve soil structure. When mowed and incorporated in June, they’ll also boost soil organic matter.
Sap-Flow Conscious Pruning
This winter we adopted traditional pruning system “vara & pulgar” techniques that maintain uninterrupted sap pathways. This helps the vine recover more quickly from dormancy, especially after a wet winter.
The 2025 vintage may be starting a little later, but it’s off to a promising and balanced start. Generous winter rains and a slower awakening could yield wines with elegance, freshness, and aromatic precision. Of course, there’s a long road between first shoots and harvest, but for now, we’re toasting the rains that made this hopeful beginning possible.
We’ll keep you updated as the season unfolds. In the meantime, pour a glass of last year’s vintage and raise it to the promise of what’s to come.
Salud!
