Rioja’s earliest harvest is also one of its shortest — nearly done by San Mateo
La Rioja: the 2026 vendimia started around 6 August and is expected almost finished by the San Mateo festival. Past ~70 million kg already in, with heat up to 40°C accelerating whites and reds together.
Harvest calendars used to be a slow drum. In Rioja 2026 the drum is a sprint.
La Rioja reports that the earliest harvest in the region’s history is also among the shortest. Picking is expected to be almost finished by San Mateo — the mid-to-late September harvest festival — with whites and reds overlapping across zones. Consejo drag reports already show roughly 70 million kilograms into wineries, including more than 10 million kilograms in the first two September days alone.
Heat up to 40°C is compressing the calendar. The campaign started around 6 August 2026 with tempranillo blanco at Ilurce / Aldeanueva. Sanitary conditions are good; alcohol is rising and acidity is falling — the classic hot-year trade-off that cellars manage with timing, not slogans.
Mini-concept: when heat stacks white and red picks into the same weeks, labour and tank space become the scarce bottles. Earliest does not mean easiest. It means the window closes before the festival posters go up.
A ready-to-drink can never negotiated 70 million kilograms against a 40°C clock. Tempranillo on Rioja’s rolling hills still does — and this year the hills finished early.
Remember: ~70 million kg already crushed, and San Mateo may find the harvest nearly done.
Source: La Rioja