Andrew Halliwell
@adhalliwell
I'm a British winemaker living in Logroño, La Rioja, Spain. I like the outdoors.
Out in the #vineyards of #Rioja today. Everything looking goodish at the moment, fingers crossed for a decent August.
Another hot day forecast for La #Rioja. #Temperatures over 40ºC (104ºF) have become normal, but they're not normal and spell disaster for the region's emblematic #wine industry. Just another example of #climatechange, that will become apocalyptic within the lifetimes of many.
Out looking at some much better #vineyards today. Just 15ºC at 8am, but suposed to get to 36ºC later. Everything looks good at the moment, with veraison very roughly at 50% around Samaniego, #Rioja Alavesa.
Saw some pretty apocalyptic-looking #vineyards today, whilst out on my bike to the west of #Logroño. I was left wondering if they might have been abandoned, or was it just the heat? Even though they have irrigation, sometimes there's no water to irrigate. Game over this season.
Out on the town in #Logroño last night. Not so packed, and a drastic reduction in temperatures made for a very pleasant evening.
A little bit of a break this weekend, but then back at it with endless heat and no rain on the horizon in La #Rioja. Fortunately there were good winter rains here, but even so, this can't be good for the grapes. This must be the hottest summer ever (again).
Fun #blindtasting last night at #LaCanilla in #Logroño. The various teams did a not so impressive job in the earlier rounds, but the winning team saved the best for last doing great work identifying the last wine as Jura Chardonnay.
Having a look at some #vineyards today in La #Rioja, checking on progress of the grapes. Things seems to have slowed down a bit I imagine, probably due to heat and lack of water. This one at least 6-7 weeks yet I'd reckon.
Bit of a tricky #blindtasting last night at #Roots #Logroño. They're always tricky though, until you know the answers. A Maturana Tinta and two from Badajoz.
At last, somebody turned the north coast a/c on overnight and temps at daybreak just 16ºC in #Rioja
Wow, #RaquelPérez is really in the driving seat of #SpanishWine these days. Has her own large winery, head of the #Rioja DOCa and now head of BWW. Best of luck - and great job by outgoing JavierPagés in establishing BWW as such a major event so quickly even through covid years.
We picked up 2nd prize for our #Rosé in a local comp. Would have preferred 1st, obviously, but we'll take it. #BodegasObalo #Rioja
Very quiet in #Logroño yesterday evening, with many locals out of town and a lot of people watching football.
Am beginning to wonder if #temperatures in #Logroño will ever return to normal. (long term average daily max for Logroño is 30.5ºC)
Nice to see friends enjoying #CellerAlimara #Llumí red in the UK - wish I could have been there. Great with Mexican apparently. #TerraAlta
There are a lot of factors to take into account when assessing #vineyards, but in general in NW #Rioja I like the breezy ones on slopes, rather than valley bottom ones, which can be a bit humid. In other regions those might be the ones you want, as every drop of water may count.