Thierry Coste, who chairs the Copa and Cogeca (farmers and agri-cooperative organisations in the EU) wine working party, said in Brussels on Tuesday 18 October that European wine production has fallen this year compared with last, largely as a result of weather conditions. Quality, however, is expected to be good, he said.
Some EU member states have been affected by drought while others have suffered frost and hail. “Production is still at a fair level after the excellent year in 2015”, Coste stated.
Italy still top. Italy remains Europe’s biggest producer with 50.3 million hectolitres (mhl), compared to 51.5 mhl in 2015. Italian exports have also surged in 2016 compared to last year. In France, production is estimated to be down by around 12% at around 42 mhl. In Spain, a slightly smaller harvest is predicted at around 41.5 mhl compared to 42.21 mhl in 2015 but the harvest is still to be completed in some regions. Record exports have also been reported in Spain.
In Germany, the harvest is not yet over but it is estimated that it will total 8.55 mhl compared to 8.87 mhl last year. Portuguese production is expected to be down by 20% this year to 5.6 mhl. Production in Hungary and Austria have suffered frost damage. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)