World Wine Output Is At A 20-Year Low As Vineyards Struggle With Rough Weather

Image courtesy of johndegree

If you’re the kind of person who greets a glass of wine with a happy grin, you might want to sit down and take a deep breath before you continue reading: frost, hail, drought, and floods have hit world wine production across Europe and South America hard this year, resulting in a 20-year low.

Production could fall by 5.3% this year because of wet weather spoiling grape harvests in South America, Bloomberg reports, and rough weather in French vineyards as well.

“Output was greatly affected by exceptional weather conditions,” International Organisation of Vine & Wine director general Jean-Marie Aurand said. “If there is one product that is vulnerable to weather events, it’s wine.”

Flagging production could mean higher prices to come, the Associated Press notes, but the rough weather might not have dinged the quality of 2016 vintages. And despite the dip, the wine division of EU farm federation Copa & Cogeca says wine production in Europe said it’s still at a “fair level” compared with 2015.

“Overall, the 2016 harvest is on a par with previous harvests and the quality was good across the board,” wine division chairman Thierry Coste said in a statement.

World Wine Output Near 20-Year Low as Rain, Frost Hit Vineyards [Bloomberg]
World wine production slips amid rough weather; Italy on top [Associated Press]

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