Grape-picking for 2026 wines begins in Jumilla

The majority of Jumilla wine grapes will remain on the vine until September and October

On Monday 3^rd August the wine-growing area of the DOP label of Jumilla officially began one of the many crucial phases of the cycle which leads to wine from northern Murcia being exported all over the world, when it was confirmed that the first grapes of this year’s harvest were being picked at one of the vineyards belonging to Viñedos y Bodegas Asensio Carcelén, located in the Cañada del Judío area.

This vineyard is located on lower ground in the warmer south of the DOP Jumilla area, alongside the road to Cieza, but its location is not the only factor which have led to picking beginning on the earliest date yet recorded by the DOP organization. Crucially, it is home not to the Monastrell grape which typifies the most iconic red wines of Jumilla, but to the Syrah red variety, which reaches maturity sooner, especially in the hot conditions of recent weeks.

Meanwhile, the first picking has arrived just in time for the annual fiestas in Jumilla which celebrate the event, and which begin next week!

At the same time, Bodegas Juan Gil has begun picking Moscatel Grano Menudo grapes at the Paraje de La Aragona vineyards in the central area of Jumilla, the aim being to achieve better freshness in the wines eventually produced, and during the month of August picking will very gradually gather momentum. The next strains to be plucked from the vines are likely to be white grapes like Sauvignon Blanc and Malvasía, which account for only about 1 per cent of production in Jumilla, and red strains such as Tempranillo and Merlot.

Only around 5 per cent of all grapes grown under the DOP Jumilla label are likely to be picked in August!

Slowly the focus of activity will shift towards the higher ground in the north, and then in September it will probably increase suddenly when the Monastrell grapes begin to reach maturity. This strain accounts for around 70 per cent of all wine produced in Jumilla, and the overall expectation is that the grape harvest will be more abundant than in the last three years following a wet spring and a very warm summer.

In addition, very few problems of insect plagues have been encountered.

The grape-picking season in Jumilla will not draw to a close until late October, when the final harvests are collected in the north of the geographical area included in the DOP label, and the first official data are expected from the DOP administration organization at the end of the year.

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