On October 27, OIV Secretary-General Pau Roca presented the first estimates of the world wine production in 2020. Volumes in the EU were lower than the average as several regions deliberately reduced their harvest despite very favourable climatic conditions in many places. The reason for this is reduced demand and large stocks. The first harvest forecasts from the USA show figures in line with 2019, but there is significant uncertainty due to the fires in California. Many harvested grapes may never become wine.
Argentina and Chile both had a reduction in volume due to severe weather conditions brought by El Niño. South Africa, on the other hand, finally returned to normal volumes after several years of drought. Australia’s harvest was low due to the bush fires in the country while there was a record harvest in New Zealand.
