Climate change and farm abandonment. These are the two factors hiding behind the serious decline. wine production in the provinceIt reached its historical minimum in this campaign. And the volume increased from 177,000 hectoliters to 110,000 hectoliters in just four years. Drought has a lot to do with this, but also the 10% decrease in hectares devoted to wine grapes is also attributed to the generation change and lack of solar installation projects in some regions. But the Alicante Denomination of Origin wants to make necessity a virtue, given that the decline in wine production is intended to be concentrated in bulk wines and strengthen quality bottled wines.
numbers
1,000 hectares of crops lost since 2019
The lack of generational change and solar farm projects have resulted in the loss of 10% of the wine grape acreage of approximately 1,000 hectares.
Business volume of 32 million euros
The turnover of Alicante Wines Origin wineries is around 32 million and this figure is expected to continue this campaign.
Climate change is a reality that has negative consequences for most crops in the province of Alicante; However, in the case of vineyards devoted to wine production, adverse weather conditions Added to this was the abandonment of the lands; So much so that, according to industry estimates, approximately 1,000 hectares of land have been lost in the last four years. And the worst part is that it’s a trend that will only get worse.
This is expressed by Eladio Martín Aniorte, director of the Alicante Wines Origin Group, who says that “we see that the rural population is decreasing and intergenerational change is gradually decreasing among farmers, especially in the Vinalopó region.” he states. Added to this: Projects He noted that solar power plants “caused people to stop farming even before such installations were allowed.”
As a result, there is a gradual decline. grape harvestThis year, it reached its maximum expression, with a decrease of 31 percent compared to last year and 43 percent compared to 2019. This means that it exceeds that year’s 32 million kilos by only 18 of the current weight. offer.
In any case, this loss will not be immediately noticeable for commercial purposes, considering that the wine requires a period of resting and aging. «Now there will be no problems, maybe later, in the next two years, when the broths will already be ready. ready to go to market. Wineries also have storage space,” says Martín Aniorte. Therefore, it is anticipated that this campaign will keep the business volume of the provincial sector around 32 million euros.
The Sect of Origin’s strategy, on the other hand, is at least packaged wine productionThis is currently around 11 million bottles per year, so the reduction in production only affects the bulk quantity. According to the manager, “our goal is to seek stability despite the reduction in hectares of cultivation and even bottle more if possible, with a determined commitment to quality.”
All this was confirmed by Miguel Ángel Díaz, commercial director of the Bodegas Pinoso cooperative, who emphasized that in seven years they would lose half of their members due to the abandonment of the plots, but added that “the rest will specialize in this field.” the quality wine production». He also expresses concern about the severe drought as well as the high costs of extracting water from wells.
Fear of the effects of inflation on consumption
The provincial wine industry fears that inflation, which makes shopping carts more expensive and reduces consumers’ purchasing power, will affect sales both at a general level and during the Christmas and year-end periods. There is currently no data on how the campaign will develop, which Eladio Martín Aniorte describes as “very important for the industry, but ultimately we remain a luxury product, so we do not know how the market will behave.” .
All this in a context where exports are also stagnant. “China has too much wine in warehouses due to Covid quarantines, while Germany is being hit hard by inflation,” he laments.