Harvest of 2019
After the fantastic year 2018, which was definitely seen as ‘not Dutch’ in terms of climate, expectations for 2019 at the Apostelhoeve were humble. The year 2019 began with a normal spring. At the end of March, the sap flow slowly started to get going and around 10 April, the first shoots were already showing themselves . This is a very uncertain time for winemakers, as night frosts were still possible then. Fortunately, the Maastricht winery got off to a good start in 2019.
Spring unfolded very nicely with dry weather conditions and warm temperatures with as much as 28°C during Easter. Therefore, action had to be taken very quickly to remove any double shoots so that the volume of grapes would not become too much. The nice temperatures persisted, so shoots had to be fixed as early as around the beginning of June to create a nice foliage wall. This is perhaps the busiest time of the year. With high temperatures, shoots make a huge growth spurt and it is difficult to keep up with the crop in growth. If you start too early then the shoots have no grip. If you start too late, the weight of the shoots becomes too heavy for the cane and they break off. So it comes down to a ‘moment supreme’.
July 24, 25 and 26, 2019 saw temperatures that were extremely exceptional. Over 43 to 50°C in Maastricht. As a result, the Apostelhoeve had a total harvest reduction of over 10% due to burning on the grapes. The months of August and September of 2019 were flawless. The grape plant started to focus on ripening the grapes. The beautiful weather conditions allowed the grapes to ripe perfectly. A nice combination of sour and sweet ensured that on Sept. 19, harvesting 2019 started. Partly because of modern picking and processing techniques, the Apostelhoeve managed to bring in all grapes at the right time of extremely beautiful and healthy quality. By mid-October, all grapes had been picked and processed. Now only the vinification process remained. After cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks and six months of aging, it was time to bottle the 2019 wine around the end of February 2020. The 2019 vintage was a year of extremes, high temperatures and long periods of drought. But ultimately a fantastic quality grape juice that the Apostelhoeve later turned into an even more beautiful final product. The Apostelhoeve again bottled the Cuvée XII, Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau, Auxerrois and Riesling in February. The Pinot Gris Barriques has also been available since April 2020.