Due to the dry and warm weather, 2022 seems to be going down in the books as a good Dutch wine year. If the current conditions are continued for another two months, the winegrowers will have a big harvest. Winegrower Peter Pels from Havelte is also enthusiastic about his full vines.
“It has all been exactly right so far. If it continues like this, it will be great. The sun is doing its job and we had some rain last weekend,” says Pels about the ideal scenario for his wine grapes. “The vines are in good shape. It’s wonderful to be in the vineyard.”
Pels, together with his wife Winie, planted the first wine plants in the ground in 2005. These are varieties that have been specially developed for the climate in the Netherlands. They now produce an average of 1500 to 2000 bottles of wine per year at Wijngoed Havelte.
If the summer weather stays on, Pels won’t have to worry about this year’s production. “It’s starting to look a bit like 2018 and 2019. Those were also very nice vintages. 2018 was completely new for us. I think the sun started shining in May and it didn’t stop until the end of September. A really great year.”
According to Pels, that cannot be said about 2021. “Last year it was cold and wet. Then we had a lot of problems with fungi, which is not good for the wine grape. Fortunately, those fungi are not there this year due to the dry weather. now get very nice sugars in the grapes and the acids also decrease, which is a nice combination.”
“In 2021 we finally had a small harvest. When it is cold, you remove more grapes from the vines, so that the quality can go to a limited number of grapes. If the weather remains nice, all grapes can feed well. you leave a few more trusses and you have a bigger harvest.”
Watch the video about the winegrower from Havelte below: