In Portugal’s Alentejo region, grape harvesters have shifted their work to nighttime to avoid soaring daytime temperatures that routinely exceed 40 degrees Celsius during the summer months. With headlamps illuminating lush vineyards, workers prune and gather grapes under the cover of darkness, a measure prompted by increasingly frequent and intense heat waves linked to climate change.

Maria Jeronima Mendes, a 70-year-old farmworker, described the nighttime conditions as “much cooler” and noted that the artificial lighting helps in identifying grape bunches more clearly. The region’s summer heat, which now extends into September, has intensified due to prolonged droughts and rising temperatures reported by the EU’s climate monitoring agencies. Western Europe experienced its warmest summer on record this year, with August marked as the hottest month ever recorded globally.

At Herdade das Servas, a prominent estate in the area producing approximately 277,000 liters of red, white, and rosé wine in 2025, the shift to nocturnal harvesting has become essential. Renato Neves, the estate’s production director, explained that the practice prevents workers from enduring extreme daytime heat while also benefiting the wine production process. Grapes harvested at night arrive fresher at the winery, delaying fermentation and allowing for improved aroma extraction and decanting.

In addition to altering harvest hours, Herdade das Servas has adopted soil conservation techniques such as retaining weeds around vine bases to help maintain soil moisture amid increasingly dry conditions. Harvested grapes are collected by daybreak and transported to vats for washing and sorting before being crushed. The night schedule also allows the estate to maximize daytime solar energy use in the cellar, enhancing operational efficiency.

The adoption of nighttime harvesting is part of a broader response to climate change across Mediterranean Europe. Oenologist Rui Reguinga noted that the practice is likely to persist as a “step towards more sustainable viticulture” in regions facing rising temperatures and drought. However, another expert, Tiago Macena, cautioned that the method poses challenges, requiring specific logistical arrangements and a workforce willing to work overnight. Consequently, while larger vineyards in southern Portugal have embraced the change, smaller producers in the northern parts of the country have yet to adopt this approach widely.