According to the harvest forecast by La Semana Vitivinícola (Sevi), Spain appears to be on the brink of its smallest wine harvest in history. Even with the most optimistic calculation at 35.27m hectoliters, the projected harvest is still considerably below that of the previous year. The most pessimistic estimate stands at 33.22m hectoliters, making the reduction even more pronounced. On average, Spain is anticipated to harvest approximately 34.25m hectoliters in 2023, marking a historical low at 16.6% less than the previous year.
While many Spanish regions are grappling with losses, hot areas like Catalonia are being hit the hardest, expecting around a 28% reduction compared to 2022. In sheer numbers, Castile-La Mancha is set to experience the most significant loss. The harvest figures here are projected to drop from 22.83m hectoliters by 21.6% down to 17.89m hectoliters. Even regions like Asturias, which might see a substantial percentage increase of 22.5%, and the Canary Islands with 22.4%, cannot counteract these losses. After all, these regions represent only a few thousand hectoliters in the grand scheme.
Growing conditions play a critical role
Overall, regions influenced by the cooling effects of the Atlantic or the Cantabrian Mountains are the ones registering growth this season. This positive trend extends to renowned cultivation areas like Galicia (increasing by +15.7% to 955,288 hl) and Rioja (rising by +7.5% to 2.29m hl). In Castile and Leon, another significant region, the harvest figures are nearly in line with the prior year at 2.41m hectoliters, showing only a slight decrease of 0.8%. MS
