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According to a forecast by the wine trade publication La Semana Vitivinícola, Spaniards are expecting the smallest harvest the country has ever recorded. According to the extrapolated figures, around 34.25 million hectolitres of grapes will be harvested there, 16.6 percent less than in 2022. The reasons for this are said to be periods of drought, hailstorms and heat waves, which have massively affected Spanish wine production this year.
The data of the study show that hot, dry regions are most affected. In areas with hot climates such as Catalonia, the Canary Islands and Castilla-La Mancha, "significant losses" are to be expected. The Cava region of Penedès in Catalonia also faced unprecedented drought this year. The area is expected to lose between 35 and 55 per cent of its grapes this year. It was only at the beginning of September that the city of Valencia was hit by a severe hailstorm. The hailstones were about the diameter of a one-euro coin.
Areas favoured by cool influences such as the Atlantic Ocean or the Cantabrian Mountains, on the other hand, were less affected by this year's heat waves and droughts. Regions like Galicia and Rioja expect a good harvest.
(uka / Source: La Semana Vitivinícola)