It is perhaps excessive to call it disaster, but also the Italian harvest (like the French harvest) is expected to be extremely small this year. The Italian oenologist association predicts that Italy will harvest 41 million hectolitres. This is a decline with 24% (!) compared to 2016 (54 M hl). Last year, however, gave a fairly large volume. Compared with the average over 5 years, there is still a significant decline: -13%.
Worst hit is Lazio-Umbria with 40% less, but also Tuscany, Abruzzo, Apulia and Sicily lose about a third.
In Italy, it is especially the very hot and dry summer that has had an effect, although they also had some problems with spring frost and hail.
Will the decline in Italy and France, the world’s two largest wine producers, lead to higher prices? Hard to know, but my guess is that the effect will be very small. On the other hand, it may be an opening for “alternative” wine countries to deliver more on the export market.
What do you think?
Read more: divini.corriere.it
