Excellent 2018 grape harvest in EU: Italy is the top wine producer

The wine and musts expected to be produced in the 28 countries of the European Union, at the end of this year’s grape harvest, should amount to 175.6 million hectoliters of wine, recovering 22.1% on 2017, and an average growth of 5.1% over the last 5 years, reveal the estimates of the EU Commission’s Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development, updated to October 10, 2018. According to the forecasts, Italy will be the number one producer in quantity, at a volume of 49.5 million hectoliters, recovering 16% on the scarce harvest in 2017, but is substantially in line (+ 2%) with production averages over the last five years. The second producing country is Spain, at 47 million hectoliters, up 33% on 2017, and 8% on the five-year average. France is third, according to the Commission, and at the end of the harvest will put 46 million hectoliters in its wine cellars, +28% on 2017, and +6% on the average, and completes the first three places in Europe, which of course, will also be global, considering the weight of the overall production of the Italian-Spanish-French trio. Germany is the fourth largest European wine producer, at 9.7 million hectoliters (+ 31% on 2017), while, there is now a close race for fifth place among Portugal, at 5.27 million hectoliters (but also the country that has the most substantial decline, -22%), and Romania, which thanks to a 20% growth on 2017, is expected to reach 5.22 million hectoliters, while following at a distance are Hungary (3.3 million hectoliters), Austria (2.9 million hectoliters), Greece (2.1 million hectoliters) and Bulgaria (1.1 million hectoliters). Examining the data in detail reveals that Italy will be the leader of wine production of both the Protected Designation of Origin (DOC and DOCG), at 23.3 million hectoliters, compared to France’s 22.1 million hectoliters and Spain’s 15.1, as well as Protected Geographical Indication (IGP) wines, at 13.4 million hectoliters, on France’s 11.8 and Spain’s 4.5. Overall, it is a positive picture, therefore, after the 2017 harvest, which was one of the scarcest ever, when all of the 28 member countries together produced 143.7 million hectoliters of wine.