Grape production for Aragón’s four appellations is expected to decrease during the 2008 harvest. Furthermore, the harvest could be delayed by up to 10 days depending on the region. According to the Regulating Councils’ interim statistics, figures vary from a slight fall of around 10 percent in DO Somontano to the drastic figure of 40 percent in DO Calatayud. All agree that the reduction in quantity will not affect quality.

DO Somontano’s Regulating Council forecasts a production of 22 million kilos, in comparison to the 24.5 million kilos harvested in 2007. However, it must be specified that the August rains could still influence the harvest; consequently the campaign could finish up with a similar quantity to last year.

The first estimates from DO Cariñena point to a reduction of 17.6 percent, as it expects to harvest around 70 million kilos, 15 million kilos less than the 2007 harvest. Regulating Council sources attribute the drop to the spring rains, which fell during the flowering period not allowing the fruit to set properly.

With 25 percent less production than in 2007, when a record 39.4 million kilos were registered, DO Campo de Borja expects to harvest 29.6 million kilos, in comparison to the 39.4 million kilos collected in the previous campaign. The Regulating Council explained that the decrease has primarily affected the Garnacha variety with which a great many Aragón wines are made.

And lastly, Calatayud is possibly the appellation most affected by the fall in production, expecting to harvest 40 percent less than in 2007, around 12 million kilos, although the Regulating Council is adamant that, for the moment at least, the figures are still provisional.