Torres Vedras, Portugal, Sept. 17, 2024 (Lusa) - The Lisbon Wine Region estimated a 25% drop in production on Tuesday, as the white grape harvest is ending and the red grape harvest is beginning.
‘We're pointing to a 25% drop,' said the president of the Lisbon Regional Wine Commission (CVR), Francisco Toscano Rico, who estimated the drop to be below the average of the last five years.
‘There was lower production - after a year of high production, there tends to be a reduction in the production of the vines - and climatic conditions characterised by rainfall and humidity, which led to diseases such as mildew on the leaves and bunches,’ he explained.
Although the initial estimated drop for this year was 15%, several producers are registering drops of 40%, which is why ‘those who treated preventatively, entering the vineyard at the right time, don't have such sharp losses in production and have quality in the vineyard, proven when the grapes are delivered to the wineries’.
The production from new vineyards planted in the last three years is counterbalancing the drop.
According to Francisco Toscano Rico, the current heatwave and hot weather may also affect the harvest by ‘not helping maturation and helping dehydration, which translates into lower production’.
Despite the drop in grape production, wine sales broke records, with 50 million bottles sold in the first eight months of the year, a growth of 4% and two million more invoiced compared to 2023.
Despite inflation and changes in consumer habits, the growth is fuelled by the increase in the region's white and rosé wines and light wines, as they have less alcohol content.
‘People are consuming less, but differently, with a tendency to opt for white, rosé and sparkling wines, which are newer and less alcoholic,’ he added that sales of light wines rose by 80% in the first eight months of the year.
Vinhos de Lisboa earns an annual turnover of €150 million from the sale of 50 million bottles, of which 20% are sold on the domestic market and 80% are exported to around 100 countries. The main foreign markets are the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, the Scandinavian countries, Germany, and Poland.
Lisbon is the wine-growing region in the country that exports the most in terms of the volume it certifies, accounting for 20% of the national share.
The wine region represents 230 producers and an area of 11,500 hectares of vineyards. It has eight wines (Alenquer, Arruda, Torres Vedras, Óbidos, Encostas D'Aire, Bucelas, Carcavelos, Colares) and one brandy (Lourinhã) with Denomination of Origin and two regional wines from Lisbon (one of which is the only light wine in the country).
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