Spain’s Juvé & Camps begins earliest-ever harvest
Juvé & Camps started its 2026 harvest at the Espiells estate today – the earliest start in the Sant Sadurní d’Anoia winery’s history, and the first time the producer has picked at night.
The centenarian house, which specialises in brut nature sparkling wines, has never before begun harvesting in July. High temperatures in recent weeks accelerated ripening on its earliest plots, pulling forward the optimum picking date and prompting the switch to night-time harvesting to avoid the worst of the daytime heat – with current highs hitting around 30 degrees Celsius.
Around 100 pickers are working alongside the winery’s viticulture team over the coming weeks, harvesting entirely by hand and bunch by bunch, which allows an initial selection in the vineyard itself.
Night picking keeps the fruit cooler in transit, reducing oxidation risk and preserving aromatics, freshness and acidity, while also easing conditions for harvest workers.
Picking began with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, destined for base wines for long-aged sparkling wines, with Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada to follow as ripening progresses. Each plot is picked separately according to variety, orientation, altitude, soil and ripeness, with minimal time between picking and pressing given the vineyards’ proximity to the winery.
Early harvest of healthy grapes
Despite the early start, the winery has described the season as favourable. Rainfall of 630mm since winter has replenished soil water reserves after several dry years, and pre-harvest checks show healthy, uniform fruit with gradual ripening and a good level of natural acidity.
Juvé & Camps is targeting around 1 million kg of grapes from its own vineyards, at an estimated average yield of 5,500 kg/ha, though final figures depend on weather over the coming weeks.
This compares to Champagne, where the ‘marketable yield’ has been capped at 8,800kg, the lowest this century, aside from 2020’s Covid-induced anomaly – when the region capped production at 8,000kg/ha.
“Winter rains have restored balance to the soils and allowed the vines to reach ripeness with much greater water availability than in recent years,” said Pep Jiménez, viticulture director at Juvé & Camps.
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“The grapes are healthy and uniform; now the challenge is to read each plot and harvest it at precisely the right moment, without letting the season’s overall earliness dictate our decisions,” he added.
Laura Tragant, technical director at the sparkling wine producer said that early samples pointed to “a highly promising combination of freshness, ripeness and natural acidity,” adding: “Everything points to a balanced and distinctive vintage, with the ideal conditions to produce brut nature sparkling wines of remarkable depth.”
First vintage since joining Corpinnat
This is Juvé & Camps’ first harvest since joining Corpinnat, the collective brand whose production requirements include organically grown and vinified grapes, manual harvesting, estate vinification, extended ageing, external audits and a guaranteed minimum price for growers. For 2026, Juvé & Camps is guaranteeing partner growers a minimum €0.96/kg – a good price for the region, but significantly lower than Champagne, where as much as €7 per kg is paid.
The winery farms 252 hectares of estate vineyards across Espiells, La Cuscona and the higher-altitude Mediona sites — certified organic since 2015 and managed under regenerative principles, including cover crops, organic matter incorporation, gentle and green pruning, and plot-specific water management.
A detailed soils study at Espiells, based on 76 test pits and 260 soil borings, underpins its plot-by-plot approach. As part of its climate-adaptation work, the winery has also planted a new Xarel·lo vermell plot using the ‘keyline design system’, which follows land contours to improve water infiltration and reduce erosion.
Precision farming for value creation
“This harvest reflects a way of working that begins long before the grapes are picked: caring for the soil, tending each plot with precision, and always thinking for the long term,” said Meritxell Juvé, CEO and fourth-generation family member.
“We want every vintage to remain true to the Penedès and for the value it creates to flow back to the people who keep this landscape alive.”
Juvé & Camps is one of a number of European wine producers setting new records for harvest start dates, including Domaine Lafage in Roussillon, while estates in Provence and growers in Champagne are expecting to begin picking earlier than ever before in 2026.
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