Italy’s output of wine is forecast to decrease significantly this year due to the follow-on effects of extreme-weather events.
Italy is predicted to remain the world’s biggest wine producer this year, with a projected output of 44.5 million hectolitres, despite the assumed nine per cent drop in production as compared to the average output over the past five years.
“The multiplication of extreme climate events are putting harvests at risk with increasing frequency," Coldiretti said.
“Over the last 30 years the alcohol content [in wines] has increased by a percentage point.
“The increase in the average temperature has also increasingly frequently determined an early harvest, which is often a month before its traditional time in September.
“The proverb that says ‘in August you fill your larder and in September the cellar’ no longer holds”.
The climate crisis is not just affecting Italian wine production, but is also impacting production in other countries, such as Spain and France,
The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) said extremely low world wine production volume is expected in 2021, at a level similar to 2017, and it is expected to be the third consecutive year in which the global production level is below average.
Due to the late spring frost and unfavourable climatic conditions, low production volume is anticipated across the Europe.
