Poor weather has once again stymied global wine production, confirming the extent to which viticulture is at the mercy of climate change, and contingent upon the need to adapt.
Contents:
- A small crop
- Italy leads the way, while France drops back
- Climate change
- Coping through investment
A small crop
The 45th International Vine and Wine Congress held in Dijon in October did not just witness the election of a new female chair at OIV (Yvette van der Merwe), or the celebration of the organisation’s centenary marked by a strategic plan for 2025-2029 combined with 13 resolutions. It also led the organisation to confirm everyone’s fears of a small 2024 crop. The global harvest has seemingly plummeted to one of its lowest levels for the past six decades, coming in at under 250 million hectolitres (mhl), according to a preliminary report based on the large producer countries that account for three-quarters of global production. Among them, some – which experienced particularly challenging conditions last year – have seen some improvement this year, although they remain below their long-term averages. Cases in point are Argentina and Australia in the Southern Hemisphere, alongside Italy and Spain in Europe.
Italy leads the way, while France drops back
With current harvest estimates of 41 mhl, the Italian wine industry has slightly recovered this year, though the overall figure belies the impact of extreme weather in some regions. Italy does though regain its ranking as the world’s leading producer country. In Spain, the national co-operative organisation is predicting a total crop of 37 mhl, up by 14.5% on 2023. The main drivers of the increase are Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura, which posted average crops and managed to offset very low volumes along the eastern side of the country, once again affected by drought. Conversely, Chile and France were not so lucky. France’s production is likely to hit the 37 mhl mark, down 23% on last year and 17% on the five-year average. All the French wine regions were in a similar situation, with Jura particularly hard hit – this year’s harvest is a staggering 68% down on last year’s bumper crop. Losses are also significant in Burgundy-Beaujolais (-38%), Champagne (-46%), Charente and the Loire Valley. The main causes were excessive rainfall and/or drought, frost and hail, sometimes all of them in the same year.
Climate change
Admittedly, winegrowers are no strangers to harvest variations caused by nature. Over the past thirty years, however, global production has “fluctuated within a relatively constant range” according to OIV director Dr John Barker. “It is therefore quite significant that in 2023, it dropped below the lowest level in this range”. The chairman of the French independent winegrowers’ organisation, Jean-Marie Fabre, concurs: “In the era of my parents or my grandparents, bad weather would occur every twenty years. These years were referred to as a ‘winegrower’s vintage’ due to the skill, dedication and hard work required to unlock the full potential of the salvaged grapes. I am under the impression that nowadays, nature metes us out a winegrower’s vintage every year”. Some inventory and cash flow coupled with an occasional helping hand by the State would also iron out the impact of a lost crop and reconsolidate businesses. But times have changed and the present-day industry has to contend with a crippling multi-faceted crisis combined with now-recurrent hazardous weather.
Coping through investment
Although resistant grape varieties and a change in vineyard management techniques can lessen the impact of climate change, Fitou winegrower Fabre does not feel that “planting vines in Brittany will be enough to solve the problem because the region suffers from frost”. He is therefore advocating for a resilience plan based on a paradigm shift in mindset, where prevention is better than cure. “Instead of government help designed to compensate for damage after the event, why not support investments over two or three years that can protect vines from hail, frost and drought? Why not invest today to save money tomorrow and continue to generate value?” asks Fabre. There are solutions available: for frost, these range from heated cables, that can sometimes be run off photovoltaic panels, to sprinkler systems and frost fans. “Hail nets are also around 92% effective but they cost between 8,000 and 10,000 euros a hectare”, adds Fabre, who remains doggedly upbeat. “There have been vines in our country for over two millennia. Our winegrowing ancestors also experienced challenging times. And changes in wine consumption patterns are nothing new…”
Florence Jaroniak, ©: Pexels/Filipp Romanovski
For more information:
https://www.oiv.int/press/highlights-oiv-general-assembly
https:/agreste.agriculture.gouv.fr/agreste-web/disaron/IraVit24124/detail/
www.wineaustralia.com/getmedia/b3576546-f5b7-4210-b936-0460b618bd41/MI_VintageReport2024_F.pdf
https://bit.ly/2024HarvestReport
https://www.nzwine.com/en/media/statistics-reports/nzw-annual-report