vinaloó

Leading Spanish table grape grower group Uva de Mesa Embolsada Vinalopó is predicting a good harvest this season, thanks to abundant rains in recent months.

In a statement, the Alicante-based denomination of origin (DO) organisation said that its members had begun the process this month of bagging bunches of Vinalopó table grapes for collection at the end of the summer.

The group said an “excellent harvest” of more than 250m bunches had now been bagged as a result of the “abundant rain” that Alicante had seen during the early part of 2008.

According to the DO, the process of bagging grapes is “fundamental” for the adequate maturation of the produce and the development of the fruit’s “unique characteristics”, taste, colour and skin.

Harvesting of Vinalopó’s Ideal variety is due to begin in September and is set to run until Christmas, when production switches to the Aledo variety.