Published on : 27/04/2022 – 18:42
Contrasting wine production in 2021, according to the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV). Big drops in production have been recorded in the northern hemisphere, and particularly in France. Losses partially offset by excellent results recorded in the Southern Hemisphere.
In the top three which remains unchanged, all the countries had a bad year, estimates theHIV in its annual report. Starting with Italy, the world’s leading wine producer.
????PRESS CONFERENCE????After 3 years of declining wine consumption, 2021 levels saw an increase of 1% compared to 2020
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— OIV (@OIV_int) April 27, 2022
In the northern regions, a disastrous 2021 vintage
Italy remains in the lead, with just over 44 million hectoliters of wine produced, but forecasts a 9% drop in production. France and Spain follow, with major losses of grapes due to the calamitous weather, in particular the spring frost which caused French production to fall by 27%. A fall in production which could weigh next year on French exports.
In the United States, estimates point to just over 24 million hectoliters of wine produced. This figure is 6% higher than last year, marked by forest fires and smoke that made part of the harvest unsuitable for winemaking. However, the summer drought was there. This has, once again, given producers a hard time in certain American wine regions. As for the grape harvest in China, the data is not yet available. However, the production of Chinese cuvées should continue its decline that began in 2016.
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A godsend in the vineyards of the South
In the southern hemisphere, on the contrary, winegrowers benefited from very favorable climatic conditions, particularly in South America. Forgotten two years of losses caused by the impact of the warm El Niño current; Chile, Argentina and even Brazil were able to reconnect with large volumes and very good quality grapes. After six years of drought, South African winemakers produced 10.6 million hectoliters of wine, or 2% more. A comparable situation in Oceania, where Australia recorded its strongest harvest since 2006. Only New Zealand is an exception in this region of the world, with 19% less wine produced in 2021.
In the end, the International Organization of Vine and Wine estimates world wine production at some 250 million hectoliters in 2021. This is 4% less than in 2020. Extremely low wine production, barely higher than the historically low production of 2017.
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International wine trade rebounds
The world wine market has picked up. With the easing of health restrictions and the reopening of restaurants and other places of consumption, international wine trade has jumped dramatically. Exported volumes reached levels never seen in history, and in terms of value, they reached 34.3 billion euros, an increase of 16% compared to 2020. Spain remains the undisputed leader in this market, with 23 million hectoliters exported, closely followed by Italy and France. Other major wine exporters include Germany, Chile, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. South Africa was able to increase its exports by 33%.
The United States remains the largest wine market in terms of value (6.2 billion euros), and second (after Germany) in terms of imported volumes. Russia, meanwhile, ranks 10th in the ranking of wine importing countries.
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Uncertain outlook for 2022
The International Organization of Vine and Wine, sometimes referred to as the “wine UN” (with its 48 member countries), warns that the year 2022 will be marked by new challenges, with the continuation of the Covid epidemic -19, but also because of the war in Ukraine. The conflict is driving up the prices of dry raw materials (bottles, metal caps, cartons, etc.) and disrupting supply chains.