The wineries of the DO Ribera del Duero request 68.3 million back labels, 4.4 more than in 2021.
The Ribera del Duero Denomination of Origin lives a sweet moment. Enough data: so far this year the different wineries have requested 68,319,869 back labels, which is an increase of 7% compared to the same period in 2021, when 63,889,999 back labels were sued, essential to put on the market the bottles of wine assigned to this quality brand.
In addition, the increase in the level of sales far exceeds that recorded before the pandemic, since in the first eight months of 2019 the Regulatory Council delivered 60,621,097 back labels, so the current increase is around 12.7%. All this after living a historic month of August, the best of the whole series, according to data from the Denomination of Origin itself, which date back to 1991. During August 2022 alone, 6,963,067 back-labels were issued, exceeding 5,413,965 in 2021, 4,091,114 in 2020, 4,781,607 in 2019 or 5,786,884 in 2017, a year that until now held the maximum in one month of August.
In the sector they attribute the growth in demand for wines from the Ribera del Duero to «a collection of small factors». Especially, according to Juan de la Vega, manager and commercial director of Bodegas Pérez Pascuas, wanting to leave after two years complicated by the coronavirus crisis. People want to have fun. It is true that we have all seen the ears to the wolf, but priority is given to seize the moment and enjoy life». A change of mentality that is reflected in the commercial aspect. «We are all leaving», admits De la Vega, while detailing that this is the widespread feeling among winemakers in the region.
Overall, the monthly evolution exceeds the figures of both 2021 and 2019 in the accumulated of the year. «Yes, always with your feet on the ground», he points out, aware that the trend could vary, especially by the incessant rise in the price of materials such as glass, paper, cardboard, phytosanitary, energy and fuels Now we think about the short term, because anything can happen overnight. There are always unexpected changes, but the accumulated year is no longer taken away by anyone», he adds.
In this same line, other winemakers are pronounced as Rodrigo González, from Altos del Enebro. In his opinion, «in Ribera del Duero we live in a kind of paradise island, since it remains very strong and bullish». Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia, from the cooperative winery Tiempo Vivo stresses that «there is no doubt that sales are going well». And everything, continues, «even though with the covid it seemed that the world was going to end. It has been a difficult year but we continue forward».
Winemakers also attribute the increase in sales to the reactivation of both the domestic and international market, something that is equally noticeable in tourism and leisure. On the concrete upturn of August, everyone notes that it was «a very good month» and encourages them to continue since it is not usually the strongest, at least not for reds due to the high temperatures.
SOURCE: DIARIODEBURGOS.ES