According to the latest preliminary figures by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), global wine production is set to drop to 250.3 million hectolitres in 2021. This is 7% below the average for the past 20 years and 9% lower than last year.
This is the third consecutive year the world’s total wine production has fallen below average levels, reports Coldiretti. The 2021 harvest only just climbs above the all-time low of 2017.
Data shared at COP26
The OIV shared its data at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. The drop in production levels is down to “late spring frosts and overall unfavourable weather conditions” linked to climate change, Coldiretti said in a press release on Thursday.
Italy has been subjected to extreme weather throughout 2021. Heatwaves, forest fires, storms and floods have thrashed the country. As a result, crops were damaged and farmers have reaped havoc rather than a full harvest.
Severe weather in October
In October the country was hit by 20 severe weather events in one day. Those included tornadoes, hailstorms, and torrential rainfall.
Read: Italy sets European rainfall record
The storms “devastated fields, pastures, stables and agricultural vehicles as well as blocking roads and causing landslides and landslides in the countryside,” Coldiretti said.
Coldiretti estimate the loss to Italy’s agriculture sector as around €2billion so far this year, all as a result of extreme weather.
Wine production in Italy still largest in the world
Despite everything to hit wine production levels, Italy remains the largest producer of wines globally. It is followed by Spain and France.
Spain’s wine producers were expecting a good wine season, though with a lower yield than 2020. Unlike Italy, there were only hailstorms at the start of the season. Extreme weather up until the beginning of August was limited in Spain.
France’s wine producers reportedly suffered particularly bad losses in 2021. They saw a 27% reduction in harvest compared to 2020 following a year of severe frosts, summer rains, and diseases.
