(Paris) World wine production is expected to be “extremely low” in volume in 2021, the three main European producing countries – Italy, Spain, France – having suffered from adverse weather conditions, announced Thursday the International Vine Organization and wine (OIV).
Conversely, 2021 was a “very positive” year for the vineyards of the southern hemisphere, after a bad year 2020, noted the OIV during an online press conference.
In total, world wine production is estimated at around 250 million hectoliters, “just above the historically low production of 2017”, according to the organization’s initial estimates. The decrease would be around 4% compared to 2020, when the volume produced was already below average.
In the European Union, France is the one which “suffered the most from the effects of a disastrous vintage”, with severe frosts in April, followed by summer rains, hailstorms and mildew episodes, a parasitic fungus, underlined the OIV. Second world producer in 2020 behind Italy, it should move to third place, behind Spain, for the first time since 2013.
Together, these three countries, which account for 45% of world production, have lost around 22 million hectoliters compared to 2020.
Italian production is expected to reach 44.5 million hectoliters in 2021, down 9% year on year. Spain forecasts a production of 35 million hectoliters (-14%). France would arrive just after, with 34.2 million hectoliters (-27%). “That is to say its lowest volume of production since 1957”, according to the director general of the OIV, Pau Roca.
On the other hand, Germany, the fourth European producer, fared well, with production up 4% to 8.8 million hectoliters.
Outside the EU, Switzerland, which has suffered from bad weather, should see its production fall by 10% to 0.8 million hectoliters, the lowest volume for 20 years.
In the United States, production is estimated at 24.1 million hectoliters, up 6% from 2020, a year marked by fires.
As for the southern hemisphere, it can have a smile. Wine production is expected to reach a record level of 59 million hectoliters, up 19%.
In South America, Chile produced 13.4 million hectoliters (+ 30% over one year), a 20-year high. Argentina follows, with 12.5 million hectoliters (+ 16%). Brazil posted a 60% jump to 3.6 million hectoliters.
On the Oceania side, Australia saw its production increase by 30% to 14.2 million hectoliters, the highest since 2006.