2024 harvest in Europe: France (-18%), Germany (-2%) and Portugal (-8%) down, Spain up (+20%)

The impact of climate change on wine production is being felt in the European Union, as production in the main producing countries is once again below average. According to data from Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins (CEEV), the harvests in France (-18% to 39.2 million hectoliters), Germany (-2% to 8.4 million hectoliters) and Portugal (-8% to 6.9 million hectoliters) are all down and weigh the most on the production of Vigneto Europa, Europe’s Vineyard. The Spanish production is recovering, though, ,at 39.75 million hectoliters registering +20% increase compared to 2023 volumes, and has therefore taken over France’s second place in the producer rankings. In spite of the problematic climatic conditions as well as the increase in plant diseases in some areas, the quality of the harvest remains excellent, thanks to the exceptional work of the winemakers. Considering this context and in the game of numbers and forecasts, to date, Italy would then return to being the leading producer in quantity, for what it’s worth, at 41 million hectoliters (+7% compared to 2023 , however, -12.8% on the five-year average), as the 2024 harvest forecasts, presented today at the G7 meeting in Ortigia and signed by Assoenologi, Unione Italiana Vini - UIV and ISMEA have pointed out.
Double-digit decreases in its three main wine areas have had an especially heavy impact on the French wine production. Champagne registered a negative -16%, Bordeaux -10%, and finally Burgundy lost as much as 25%. We must add that the uprooting strategy pursued France, played its part, too. Spain, on the other hand, has counted on the growth of Castilla la Mancha compared to 2023 (+33%), but also on the Cava situation, which, thanks to the favorable intervention of spring rain, has settled at 6.000 kg/hectare, equal to half of the maximum authorized production.
Gaya Ducceschi, Head of Wine & Society and Communication of the Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins (CEEV), the association that represents European wine companies in the wine industry and trade, said, “the long-term structural decline in consumption, especially on traditional markets, is at the heart of the current crisis in the sector. The global market for spirits and low- or zero-alcohol products is growing, while instead wine consumption continues to decline. European Union support should focus on improving competitiveness, reducing costs and facilitating access to new consumers. This is why, together with the European wine sector, we are launching Vitaevino, a campaign across Europe in defense of our sector, to protect wine as part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle, emphasizing its cultural and socio-economic role. The campaign will focus on generating broad public support through collective commitment, and encourage citizens, consumers and the global wine community to sign a Declaration supporting the role of wine in society and defending its cultural heritage”. Looking at the rest of the world, however, and especially wine production in the Southern Hemisphere, we note that Argentina has grown the absolute most at 11.2 million hectoliters +27% compared to the previous harvest. Australia follows at 11.7 million hectoliters, +21%, and then South Africa’s production at 9.4 million hectoliters, which is substantially the same as the previous year (+1%). On the contrary, Chile is decreasing, production is at 9.9 million hectoliters and a negative balance, -10%, and so is New Zealand, at 2.8 million hectoliters, losing just over a fifth of its production compared to 2023 (at -21%).