Brussels, 24/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - The Union will experience its worst wine harvest in ten years this year, due largely to the heat-wave of this summer, announced the Committee of Agricultural Organisations of the EU (Copa) and the General Committee for Agricultural Co-operation in the EU (Cogeca). According to Copa-Cogeca, the wine and must harvest in the 2003-2004 season will be 156 million hectolitres, "the weakest harvest in the last ten years". This figure represents a fall on 9.3% compared to the average production of the last five years, say the agricultural organisations. The biggest drops in production were recorded in Germany (-21% to 8.3 million hectolitres), France (-16% to 47.32 million hectolitres), Italy (-16% to 45 million hl), Luxembourg (-14.9% to 0.13 million hl), and Austria (-11.4% to 2.3 million hl). Production rose significantly in Spain (+10.6% to 42.1 million hl), Portugal (+10.4% to 7.1 million hl) and Greece (+4.1% to 3.67 million hl).
Out of total EU production, a little over half belongs to the table wine category, including table wine with geographical indication (78.5 million hl, of which 33.8 million in Italy, 23 million in Spain and 18 million in France), and nearly a third (56 million hl), of which 21 million in France and just over 10 million hl in Italy) to the category of quality wines produced in specified regions. The rest of production includes other types of wine, especially French (7.5 million hl) and musts (6.3 million hl, especially in Spain and some from Italy).