The shortage could push up the price of wine throughout Spain
In any given year, Spanish grape growers will pull in around 42 million hectolitres, half of which is produced in Castilla-La Mancha alone, Europe’s largest wine region.
On the bright side, Councillor for Agriculture, Francisco Martínez Arroyo, explained that the community “will have a smaller harvest but this will have a positive effect on the markets because the wine will be able to sell better and at a good price.”
One of the issues is that the heat is forcing farmers to harvest the grapes far earlier than usual, and the fruit used to make red wine is likely to be the worst affected with a much lower yield than normal.
According to the agrarian organisation ASAJA, the harvest stands to be down by as much as 30% in inland areas such as the Campo de Montiel in Ciudad Real, where the clay soil absorbs more heat and prevents the leaves of the vines from protecting the fruit from the punishing sun.
In any case, the experts believe that if the heatwaves become more frequent in the coming years then Spanish wine won’t suffer too many adverse effects, since the hardy plants will simply learn to adapt.
Image: Flickr
Source: Murcia Today
