The Lleida winery, a pioneer in regenerative agriculture, expects to reach one million tons of grapes harvested this year, the same amount as in the last century.

Raimat (Lleida), July 27, 2026. – The 2026 grape harvest has begun today. Raimat(DO Costers del Segre), which has set an all-time record by starting earlier than ever before in its 108 previous harvests. Due to its climate and location, it is traditionally one of the first in Europe, and this year the harvest has started a few days earlier because the high temperatures have accelerated the ripening of the grapes.

The winery's forecast, pioneer in regenerative viticulture and certified as a B Corp, is to harvest close to six million kilos of grapes (100% organic) for Raimat wines, a similar amount to last year.

As it points out Joan Esteve, director of Raimat, “We have a very stable production thanks to the measures implemented years ago to mitigate the effects of climate change. And the most efficient is irrigating the vineyards with pure water from the Pyrenees, so we can irrigate more often when there are heat waves and minimize the impact.”.

As for the quality of the grapes, it will be excellent, because “The vineyard is healthy, the grapes are balanced and have good acidity”, Joan Esteve assures.

In parallel, this year will mark a historic milestone by reaching a total of one million tons of grapes harvested in the vineyards of Raimat since records began. Thus, since its first harvest in 1917, 900 million bottles of wine have been produced, carrying the identity of the Lleida winery throughout the world.

An early and phased harvest

As every year, the harvest begins with the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Xarel·lo varieties, continues with Albariño and Godello, and ends with red grapes such as Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Depending on the weather conditions at the end of summer, which advance or delay grape ripening, the harvest will either conclude at the end of September or extend into October.

Nearly 80 people participate in the harvest, which takes place in the early morning, during the coolest hours (between 5 a.m. and 12 noon), selectively picking only one side of the vine, to preserve the quality of the grapes.

The new natural wastewater treatment plant, fully operational.
In the last quarter of 2025, a innovative 40,000 m² vertical flow wetland system The largest of its kind in Europe, this wastewater treatment plant, designed to treat the winery's wastewater, represents a significant step forward in Raimat's sustainability strategy. Located amidst its vineyards, Raimat is building the largest of its kind in Europe.

Has capacity to purify 80,000 liters of water per day through natural processes that do not require energy consumption and do not generate waste. Its operation is based on the passage of water through filter beds planted with reeds, which act as purifying agents, taking advantage of the slopes of the land.

Although in the first few months this natural purification system operated at the same time as the conventional one, the old one has been disconnected since July 1st of this year. “The natural wastewater treatment plant is now fully operational, confirming the expectations of energy savings and environmental improvement, which is the objective of the project.”, Joan Esteve values.

The project, which Raimat developed over nearly two years with the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), will also allow a energy consumption reduction of approximately 200,000 kWh, This will prevent the emission of 65.6 tons of CO₂ each year, equivalent to the amount consumed by 30,000 cars driving in a day.

In addition to its environmental efficiency, this system contributes to improving the biodiversity of the environment, since the plants used in the process promote the creation of new natural habitats.

Selective capture and recovery of CO₂ in wine fermentation
Another leading innovation in the international wine sector that the Raimat winery has recently developed - in this case together with the University of Lleida (UdL), through the TECNIO DBA center - is OPTIFERMENTThis is a system capable of capturing the CO₂ generated during wine fermentation, retaining the aromatic compounds and reintroducing them into the final product, improving quality and significantly reducing the environmental impact of the process.

Although CO₂ recovery in fermentation processes already exists, the OPTIFERMENT project represents a groundbreaking advance because it allows the selective capture of volatile aromatic compounds that are released during fermentation and their subsequent reincorporation into the wine. Thus, it integrates gas capture, energy optimization, and organoleptic improvement into a single process, transforming a byproduct (fermentation CO₂) into a high-value resource and opening new avenues to enhance the aromatic identity of wines using their own natural compounds.

The impact of this innovation translates into a Estimated energy savings of the 30% in the fermentation phase, The project offers the potential to reduce electricity consumption by 130,000 kWh annually (equivalent to the annual consumption of 50 households) and decrease CO₂ emissions by up to 1,580 tons per year. These results position the project as a benchmark for sustainability within the agri-food sector.

A range of measures to improve sustainability
For the third year, Raimat will harvest grapes from five hectares of vineyards without any pesticides, not even organic ones, thanks to a pioneering system based on type C ultraviolet light, This technology, applied at night, controls fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and downy mildew. It avoids the use of chemical or organic products, reduces the carbon footprint and costs, and has resulted in cleaner, healthier grapes.

Raimat has been installing in recent years new localized and precision irrigation techniques using remote sensing. These measures, along with the use of plant cover or the mulching Organic farming has significantly optimized water use in the vineyard.

In addition, it has a composting plant which transforms the organic waste generated in the winery itself, such as grape skins and husks, into organic compost to enrich the soils of its vineyards.