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ARCHIVED - Sour grapes: Heatwaves crush wine production in Spain
The shortage could push up the price of wine throughout Spain
Vineyards across Spain are getting ready for their busy harvest season, but the sector expects a disappointing yield this year of up to 25% less than normal, largely due to the three successive heatwaves experienced already, on top of what was an unusually dry autumn in 2021.
In any given year, Spanish grape growers will pull in around 42 million hectolitres, half of which is produced in Castilla-La Mancha alone, Europe’s largest wine region.
On the bright side, Councillor for Agriculture, Francisco Martínez Arroyo, explained that the community “will have a smaller harvest but this will have a positive effect on the markets because the wine will be able to sell better and at a good price."
One of the issues is that the heat is forcing farmers to harvest the grapes far earlier than usual, and the fruit used to make red wine is likely to be the worst affected with a much lower yield than normal.
According to the agrarian organisation ASAJA, the harvest stands to be down by as much as 30% in inland areas such as the Campo de Montiel in Ciudad Real, where the clay soil absorbs more heat and prevents the leaves of the vines from protecting the fruit from the punishing sun.
If fewer grapes are harvested then the price of wine is likely to increase slightly, but so far the cost of this product hasn’t been driven up too much by inflation. This is direct contrast with one of Spain’s top exports, olive oil, which has risen by more than 8% and is likely to continue climbing if the extreme weather persists.
In any case, the experts believe that if the heatwaves become more frequent in the coming years then Spanish wine won’t suffer too many adverse effects, since the hardy plants will simply learn to adapt.
Image: Flickr
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