This year, the harvest in Brda came a week later compared to the average of the last years, when we started picking grapes for sparkling wines at the end of August. The delay was caused by the late blooming of vines in spring, which coincidentally meant that the vines were not damaged during frost, unlike many fruit trees.

We are expecting this vintage to be of great quality and its quantity comparable to other years. The family winegrowers of Klet Brda, the largest producer and exporter of Slovenian wines, are expected to bring in approximately 7,600 tons of grapes, a normal annual amount for the Winery.

The four hundred families, members of the winery cooperative, will have finished most of the harvest by the beginning of October, while late varieties and some other special varieties will remain in the vineyards until the end of October.

If the weather remains favourable, we believe that this year’s grapes will be of good quality. We hope for moderately warm and dry weather with temperatures not exceeding 27 degrees, as the final quality of grapes depends on the weather during the harvest.

Darinko Ribolica, oenologist at the Klet Brda Winery, said: “Winegrowers were happy to see the temperatures lower, as this provides favourable conditions for vines and harvesters. Lower temperatures during the nights allow the grapes to develop better aromas. The first harvested varieties have a distinctive fruitiness, adequate acidity, and moderate alcohol content. If the weather remains good in September, we can look forward to a great 2021 vintage.”