Harvest 2021: Quality Trumps Bad Weather
Harvest Forecast 2021
9% drop in production, which stands at 44.5 million hectoliters.
The 2021 wine harvest, while failing in the challenge of tackling climate change, was a level above in quality. Based on predictions by the Italian Wine Union (Uiv), Assonologi and Ismea of 25% of samples already in the cellar, production will fall by 9% due to the climate crisis – total production is estimated to be 44.5 million hectolitres (49 million in 2020); However, the quality is touted as “excellent”, which has become a distinctive feature of the grapes of this harvest (postponed largely until late September).
On the grape harvest chart, only Sicily, Calabria and Campania showed positive changesand Veneto, despite a 7 percent drop, remains the leading producing region, producing more than 10 million hectolitres, just under a quarter of Italy’s total output.
Overall, Italy maintained its lead in output with 40 million hectolitres (-16%) ahead of Spain. Among the leading regions, Puglia lost just 5 percent with 8.5 million hectolitres, Emilia-Romagna with 6.7 million and Sicily with 3.9 million hectoliters. The four regions account for more than 60 percent of Italy’s wine production, equivalent to about 26 million hectolitres. Other regions also saw declines: Tuscany lost 25 percent of its harvest, Umbria 18 percent, Marche 13 percent and Lazio 10 percent. In the north, Lombardy saw the biggest drop of 20%, followed by Emilia-Romagna 15%. The rest of the region saw declines of between 10 percent and 7 percent. In the south, Abruzzo lost 18 percent, Maurice15 percent, Sardinia 15 percent and Basilicata 10 percent.
However, given the 3% drop in prices at the last harvest and the prospect of lower yields, we will still have wait and see on the price front moving forward. On exports, the signs are positive: demand has increased by 11 percent in the first five months of the year, equivalent to 2.7 billion euros.
