August 4th – On Tuesday 2 August, the sound of the first snips of the secateurs among the vines between Perpignan and Canet-en-Roussillon at the break of dawn signalled the start of the 2022 harvest at Domaine Lafage. A premature harvest at this 1.5 hectareparcel of Muscat Petit Grain grapes which go into making Miraflors
“We have started harvesting in early August for a few years now,” explains Eliane Lafage. “Extreme weather conditions are increasingly the norm. What with frost, scorching, heatwaves and occasional but heavy rainfall, the vines and the agriculture generally are affected. Although the unpredictable weather is pretty much beyond our control, what we can do is modify our farming practices to make sure the soil and the plant have the conditions to thrive. Domaine Lafage has for years now made efforts to respect, maintain and develop the natural biodiversity on the vineyard and adapt to climatic variations. It’s painstaking work we carry out every day to deliver positive results while preserving the terroir and its typicity.”
The grapes picked on 2 August – which will be used to produce the Lafabuleuse (a moniker inspired by the winery name and the fact that this wine is lightly sparkling) – need to reach a particular and highly precise degree of ripeness, so starting the harvest at the ideal moment is paramount. It’s a fragile balance but only at this stage of maturity can the grapes achieve the fresh and fruity character and inimitable flavours expected of the Miraflors Lafabuleuse
