On Wednesday 25 October, the EU’s agricultural organisations and cooperatives (Copa-Cogeca) indicated a reduction in the 2023 EU wine harvest in the main producing countries, such as Spain, Italy and Germany, but an increase in France and Portugal.
For the first time in seven years, Italy has lost its position as the leading wine producer, with production estimated at 43.9 million hectolitres, a reduction of 11.92% on last year.
In 2023, France became Europe’s leading wine producer, with production estimated at 45 million hectolitres, an increase of 1.47% on the previous year. France was nevertheless hit by mildew and drought, mainly in the south, but managed to stay afloat thanks to crisis measures such as distillation aid and green harvesting.
The results of the 2023 harvest in the EU shows a slight drop in wine production compared with 2022, with a total of just over 150 million hectolitres (Mhl), representing a fall of 5.5% compared with the five-year average.
Due to the consequences of climate change, namely a dry winter, hailstorms, floods and a wet spring, a sharp drop in production has also been observed in other European producing countries such as Austria (-6%), Greece (-23%), Croatia (-31%) and Slovakia (-20%), compared with 2022. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)