Post courtesy of our friends at Lua Cheia em Vinhas Velhas, reporting from Portugal.
The forecast released in August by the National Statistics Institute (INE), predicts a fall of 5% compared to the 2017 crop.
According to IVV – Portuguese Institute of Vines and Wines, this year wine production is expected to be the lowest in the last six years. This is a question of quantity rather than quality. According to the IVV, the producers are confident about the qualities of the grapes. This drop is a result of to climate conditions, namely the cold and rainy spring, the heat wave that was felt in August and the recent fall of hail in some regions in the interior of the country.
However, production was not affected equally. The regions of Lisbon, Setúbal and Alentejo ended up being the most affected by the heat. According to the Observer, some wineries in the Setúbal region may experience a 50% drop in wine production.
The vice-president of the IVV told ECO that in the Alentejo region “there are producers who have lost almost everything” and that, for example, in the north, production was affected not by heat but by diseases such as mildew.
Let’s wait and see!