It has already begun the collection of the earliest modalities, those destined to cava. Next week, will be extended to the rest.
More than last year, but much less than expected in May. This is how the harvest is handled in the region, which has just begun. As always, they have begun to collect the earliest varieties of grapes, those destined to cava, but also those that have been especially damaged by drought. The high temperatures and lack of rain have taken their toll on the vineyards.
The Agrarian Coordinator COAG Extremadura estimates that 430 million kilos of grapes will be collected and 3,200,000 hectolitres of wine and must will be produced. Figures that, they say, are almost 30 percent higher than last year, given that the campaign turned out to be terrible, but that are far below what was expected in spring.
Drought
According to the spokesman of COAG Extremadura, Juan Moreno, without such adverse weather conditions, this year production was expected to exceed four million hectolitres, “something that has already occurred in the region. In the last ten or fifteen years this amount has been exceeded, at least three or four times,” he says.
However, there have been no fungi or pests and that makes the quality of the grapes very good. As for prices, it expects to improve somewhat compared to last year, when the average was 25 cents per kilo, about nine cents to cover the cost of production, which stood at 36 cents on average.
Wines
The price of wines, especially red wines, has also fallen, according to the president of Viñaoliva, which groups 25 cooperatives and 15 wineries. Miguel Monterrey explains that when the campaign started, they started selling at 4.10 euros and are now at 2.50. ” We still have two or three million litres left and the last six million have been sold at a very low price. People are consuming white wine, semi-sweet, loose wines, and red is being badly damaged,” he says.
If you have recovered the price of the must. According to the account, with offers of up to 3.30 euros, almost one euro more than what they are receiving for the red. ” Now we are more interested in producing must, because we pour half of the product to the wine and sell it at a better price,” he adds.
All this, he points out, when production costs in wineries have risen by 300 percent, basically by electricity. Something they will denounce through agro-food cooperatives.
SOURCE: CANALEXTREMADURA.ES