2026 Harvest in Alghero: Over 300 Winegrowers at Work for Cantina Santa Maria La Palma
The 2026 harvest begins slightly earlier than usual. From the vineyards of Alghero and the Nurra, the collective work of Cantina Santa Maria La Palma’s members gets underway
The 2026 harvest at Cantina Santa Maria La Palma has begun, marking one of the most important moments of the year for our Cooperative and for the more than 300 winegrower members who are at its heart.
For several weeks, the countryside of Alghero, the Nurra and the surrounding areas will come alive with activity: men and women working in the vineyards, tractors with trailers and trucks loaded with grapes making their way towards the winery.
It is a ritual that takes place every year, telling the story not only of wine production, but also of the deep connection between our Cooperative, its members and the land.
A slightly earlier harvest
The 2026 harvest is starting slightly earlier than usual, partly due to the high temperatures, which have contributed to accelerating the ripening process of the grapes.
The first indications from the vineyards are positive, allowing us to look ahead to the coming weeks with confidence and encouraging expectations regarding the quality of the grapes.
Choosing the right moment to harvest is the result of careful monitoring. Our agronomists and winemakers follow the development of the vineyards and identify the most suitable timing for each plot and grape variety, based on the characteristics of the fruit and specific winemaking objectives.
The harvest therefore represents the culmination of work that began many months earlier: from pruning and the daily care of the vines to waiting for the ideal moment to pick the grapes.
Over 300 members and hundreds of vineyards
It is during the harvest that the cooperative nature of Cantina Santa Maria La Palma becomes particularly visible.
The grapes delivered to the winery come from hundreds of vineyards, each with different locations, exposures, soils and microclimates. This diversity represents one of the winery’s most important assets.
Having grapes from such a wide range of plots allows us to select and enhance different characteristics, expressing through our wines the many nuances of the Alghero and Nurra terroir.
Day after day throughout the harvest, this wealth of diversity arrives at the winery, where the work of hundreds of winegrowers comes together as part of one shared cooperative project.
Renzo Peretto: “The harvest makes the strength of our Cooperative visible”
“The harvest is the time of year when the scale and strength of our Cooperative become particularly visible,” says Renzo Peretto, President of Cantina Santa Maria La Palma.
“Behind every bunch of grapes delivered to the winery lies the work of one of our members, a family, people who have spent months caring for their vineyards. This year we are starting slightly earlier because of the high temperatures, but the first indications give us confidence: we expect a high-quality harvest. The work of our members and the distinctive characteristics of the many vineyards across Alghero, the Nurra and the surrounding areas come together at the winery and become a shared heritage.”
A collective tradition renewed every year since 1959
For a Cooperative founded in 1959, the harvest has a meaning that goes far beyond wine production.
Generations of winegrowers have travelled the country roads around Alghero to bring their grapes to Santa Maria La Palma. Harvest after harvest, they have contributed to the growth of the winery and to building a story deeply connected with the agricultural and winemaking development of the area.
Much has changed over the years. Vineyard management techniques have evolved, also in response to changing climatic conditions, while new technologies have been introduced both in the vineyards and in the winery.
What remains unchanged is the collective nature of the harvest: over 300 members, hundreds of vineyards and an entire territory moving to the same rhythm for several weeks.
It is the moment when the work of each individual winegrower becomes part of a shared heritage and the journey towards the creation of the new wines begins.
A great collective ritual of agricultural life that continues to tell the story of Alghero, the Nurra and north-western Sardinia, through wines shaped by the land, the sea and the Mistral wind.
