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Accolade Wines from Australia, one of the world's largest wine trading companies with brands such as Hardy's, Banrock Station and Grant Burge, has asked its grape suppliers to greatly reduce the production of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. There are currently no buyers for these wines, so the equivalent of 2,000 hectares or 45,000 tonnes of grapes must be eliminated. The surplus amounts to 350 million litres.
According to Anna Hooper of Australian Grape&Wine, the main reason for this is the sharp increase in the cost of sea transport, which is destroying Australia's competitive advantage, "especially in low value-added markets where our products are easily interchangeable."
In warmer growing regions, the average volume of red wine grapes had fallen by 17 per cent by 2021 and 30 per cent by 2022, he said. Grapes from cooler climates would have lost only 3 per cent this year.
Accolade Wines is now offering support to its suppliers: The company pays winegrowers 1,300 euros per hectare over two years if they grub up Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz vines or replace them with white grape varieties (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Prosecco/Glera). 650 euros per hectare is paid by Accolade when the vineyards are set aside. In any case, the yields of the two red grape varieties are to be reduced by a third.
The Bordeaux Families cooperative group, whose 300 vintners cultivate about 5,000 hectares of vines in Entre-deux-Mers, also wants to reduce the share of still red wines in favour of other wines like crémant and rosé, according to its managing director Philippe Cazaux. In addition, the group has invested significantly in the production of non-alcoholic wines, which are scheduled to be on the market in 2023. Cazaux wants to adapt the portfolio to the changed consumption habits, because today it is "more about wines that are drunk before meals than wines that are suitable for eating. It is becoming increasingly difficult for winemakers to make a living from their Bordeaux red wines, as it is problematic to produce and market them profitably."
(al / source: vitisphere; photo: wikimedia commons)
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