Brussels, 17/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - Wine production in the European Union has picked this year (after the disastrous harvest in 2012 due to adverse weather conditions) and provisional figures from the European Commission show that a total of 169 million hectolitres is expected, 11.5% up on 2012, with a greater harvest everywhere apart from Germany.
The main wine producers, France and Italy, where production dropped to the lowest level in forty years in 2012, have registered a rise of 7% (44.5 million hectolitres) and 2% (46.5 million hectolitres) respectively. Spain has seen a rise of 26% to 43 million hectolitres (hl), and the good weather this year has led to a 65% rise on last year in Romania to 5.9 million hl, and a 44% rise in Hungary to 2.6 million hl. Among the big wine producers, only Germany has seen production stagnate, at 9 million hl. Some countries have had problems with production, like Cyprus (where production is down 15% to 95,000 hl), Bulgaria (-2%, 1.3 million hl) and Slovenia (- 4%, 0.65 million hl). Portugal has seen a 7% increase (to 6.7 hl) and Croatia is expected to produce just over 1.4 million hl this year (a 10% rise). Greece and Austria have seen production rise by 19% (to 3.7 million hl) and 11% (to 2.4 million hl) respectively.
The most recent COPA-COGECA figures show a good harvest this year, up 15.2% on 2013, but the late summer meant that production has been delayed by two weeks. The harvest was delayed in most countries, apart from Greece, where the weather has been excellent and the grapes are of a very high quality. In Spain, 30% of vineyard surface area has not yet been harvested, but the estimates are optimistic and the quality seems satisfactory. In Hungary, production has sharply improved this year and the harvest will be completed this week. Likewise for Portugal, where the harvest is ongoing, but production seems to be up on last year. The grape harvest was delayed in Poland, Austria and Germany, but production volumes remain stable. In Italy, there has been an increase in the volume, but it is still below the five-year average and the harvest is late. In France, COPA-COGECA says the production volumes are not high. (LC/transl.fl)