(TDB) - Rioja has recorded its earliest ever harvest this year, according to the control board for the region.

As well as being the earliest on record, the 2015 harvest in Rioja produced “good quantity and great quality”, the Consejo Regulador Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja said.

The control board reported the end of normal harvest in the wine region on Tuesday 13 October. While final assessment is pending, initial results have been described as “very positive both quantitatively and qualitatively”. This is partly due to the weather in September, which was exceptionally good for grape quality.

“The Rioja grape harvest usually peaks on or near the feast of Our Lady of El Pilar on 12 October, but this year practically all the vineyards were picked out by that date” a spokesperson for control board said.

“One of the most curious facts about the 2015 harvest is that it took place practically simultaneously across the region, with the bulk of the grapes being picked within a four-week period.

“Normally, the harvest is carried out gradually over nearly two months, starting at the beginning of September in the earliest eastern areas and finishing in October in the areas at the highest altitudes.”

A total of 441.18m kg of grapes were picked in 2015, of which 426.70m kg were approved after discarding excess production. These were used to make 300 million litres of DO-protected wine.

The total grape production area in Rioja in 2015 was 61,870ha – 334 more than in 2014. Of these, 57,861ha were planted with red grape varieties and produced 392.98m kg of grapes, while 4,009ha with white grape varieties yielded 33.72m kg.

This is marginally higher than last year’s, but less than the maximum yield-per-hectare – 6,955 kg/ha for red grapes and 9,360 kg/ha for white – authorised for 2015.

The control board reported that good weather throughout the growing cycle provided excellent canopy growth and produced grapes in top condition, with no pest or disease problems. The weather also helped to promote balanced ripening across all vineyards, and unhurried, selective picking.

The average alcohol content was reported as being slightly above average, the board said, with quality particularly outstanding in vineyards located in cooler areas with moderate vigour and limited production.

Lower berry weight due to a dry spell during the last part of the growing cycle also had a very positive impact, the board added, with a better skin-to-pulp ratio – a key quality factor.