September is, par excellence, the month of the grape harvest in Portugal. It is during this period that, across the country, the grape harvest comes to life and often turns into a leisurely opportunity for discovery for those who want to learn more about this age-old tradition.
A practice that, in recent years, has been affected by the consequences of climate change. According to Frederico Falcão, president of ViniPortugal, the Interprofessional Organisation of Portuguese Wine, speaking to the Lusa news agency, the "greater frequency of periods of intense heat" has brought the harvest forward in several regions of the country, due to the faster ripening of the grapes.
And that is precisely what happened this year in the Douro, whose wines are recognised worldwide. The region has even won the title of "International Wine Region of the Year" in 2025, in the latest edition of the Wine Star Awards, organised by the prestigious trade publication "Wine Enthusiast".
In 2026, the grape harvest in the Douro began between one and two weeks earlier, Frederico Falcão told Lusa, but despite that, everything suggests that wine production in the region will be higher than in the previous campaign. The latest estimates from the Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho (IVV) point to a 25% increase on last season, with a final balance of 1.4 million hectolitres of wine from this renowned region.
