Europe’s Wine Harvest Shrinks After Year of Challenging Weather
Views: 4067
2023-10-25 23:50
Europe’s wine harvest fell this year as top producers like Italy and Spain grappled with challenging weather conditions.

Europe’s wine harvest fell this year as top producers like Italy and Spain grappled with challenging weather conditions.

A dry winter, hailstorms, floods, and a rainy spring season damaged vineyards in key wine regions, according to the Copa-Cogeca unions that represent European farmers. Italy lost its place as Europe’s top producer for the first time in seven years after a 12% drop in output.

Spanish vineyards suffered badly, too, as did producers in Austria, Greece, Croatia and Slovakia. Germany also saw a small decline, though it was mainly related to inflation and high production costs throughout the supply chain, the unions said. Output in the European Union is estimated to be 5.5% lower than the five-year average.

France became the region’s top wine producer, after it was one of few countries — together with Portugal — that saw its harvest increase.

At the same time, Europe is still grappling with a buildup of too much wine, after a strong harvest last year and inflation that has crimped consumer spending. Those factors have weighed on producers’ incomes.

Read More: There’s Too Much Wine in Europe as Drinkers Shun High Prices

Tags conss cmdtop agr cmd alltop europe world wwtop gen markets cos wwtopeu cons business eurtop gov fra lifestyle industries ger