by Patricia Langton – High temperatures in August and September have led to an early harvest across Spain.
Rioja: ‘difficult’ according to some
Scarce rainfall in the same period also means that yields are down for many regions including Rioja and Castilla-La Mancha, by as much as 30% in some cases.
Notable exceptions are the white wine regions Rías Baixas and Rueda, where the crop is expected to match 2010 or far exceed it.
‘[In Rías Baixas] bud-break and flowering were good and there wasn’t much mildew throughout the growing season despite the humidity and heat,’ Eva Mínguez of the Rias Baixas Consejo Regulador said. Continue reading “decanter.com: Spain and Portugal begin harvest after ‘difficult’ year”
With the 2012 Olympics less than a year away, and in the vinous version of the Olympics, the Decanter World Wine Awards, Spain has topped the medals table, with a haul of 828 medals.
Spain is followed by Australia on 714, and South Africa on 573.
But medal tables are never that simple. It’s all about gold to get you to the top of the tree and just like their domination of the Olympic pool, Australia sits in the No. 1 spot with 40 golds and trophies won.
Not far behind with 36 golds/trophies comes South Africa with Argentina making it on to the rostrum on 27 golds.
Champagne and Spain are the first old world countries appearing on the golds and trophies list, sitting in joint fifth with a respectable 23 golds each.
just-drinks.com editorial team – Exports of wine from Spain have leapt in the first seven months of 2010, according to recently-released figures.
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| Y viva Espana’s wines in the year so far |
Spanish trade body Observatorio Español del Mercado del Vino (OeMv) said earlier today (29 September) that exports from the country recorded rises in terms of both volume and value between January and July. A total of 970.6m litres was shipped in the period, an increase of 16.6% on the 832.7m litres exported in the corresponding period a year earlier.
In value terms, shipments just broke EUR1bn (US$1.36bn), up by 6.3% year-on-year. The average price per litre, meanwhile, dipped in the seven-month period, by 8.8% to EUR1.03.
Rebecca Gibb at Wine Future – Rioja ’09 - Wine industry leaders are upbeat about the performance of the wine sector despite a struggling global economy. Speaking at WineFuture 2009 in Rioja, Xavier Pages, CEO of Grupo Codorniu, said today (12 November): “It’s undeniable that the crisis has had an impact of the world of wine. This downturn is a big one but the wine industry is in an unbeatable position after a decade of growth and opening up of new markets. Continue reading “Wine industry in “unbeatable” position – WineFuture Rioja ’09″
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| Spain’s recession hits wine industry |
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Falling domestic demand has caused a surplus of Spanish wine that could spell trouble for producers, despite signs that export sales are recovering, Spain’s Wine Federation has warned.
Wine sales in Spain’s restaurants and bars fell by 4.6% in value and 9% in volume for the first seven months of 2009, compared to the same period last year, the Federation said today (18 September). Volume sales slipped 22% in July alone.
“The present economic instability has brought about a strong fall in sales in all the channels,” said the trade body. Continue reading “SPAIN: Wine sales down, surplus hits producers – trade body”
The DO “La Gomera” will receive national, community and international protection, according to the publication of Official Spanish Gazette (BOE) last August 15, that approves the regulations for this new Spanish appelation of origin following the order from the Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Maritime Affairs. Continue reading “Approved the designation of origin “La Gomera””
Rebecca Gibb in Priorat – Producers in leading Spanish wine region Priorat have backed a new classification system, in response to Spain’s “obsession” with brands. Priorat’s ruling body has approved 12 ‘village’ appellations on top of the regional DOCa Priorat, and one domaine appellation – Clos Mogador. Continue reading “SPAIN: Priorat launches wine terroir system”
Richard Woodard – Torres has become the latest wine producer to pull out of this year’s Vinexpo event in Bordeaux, joining fellow high-profile absentees Gallo and Constellation. The Spanish company, which usually has a large stand in the event’s main exhibition hall, said it would use the money saved to support its growers. Continue reading “Torres pulls out of Vinexpo”
Ivan Castano – Spanish winery Baron de Ley has posted a 26% drop in 2008 net profit to EUR18.8m, hurt by a sharp decline in domestic sales. The group said sales totaled EUR87m, down 7% from 2007, amid slumping domestic wine sales in recession-hit Spain. Baron de Ley would not provide more information and could not be reached for comment. In the nine months ended September 2008, Baron suffered a 5% profit drop to EUR13m as domestic sales plummeted 6%, although exports increased 2%.
Spanish researchers used a computer program able to distinguish grapevines from other crops in satellite images. The tool has been successfully used in the El Bierzo area of León, and can be used to calculate the potential wine production of an area under cultivation. Continue reading “Area Of El Bierzo Vineyards In Spain Calculated By Satellite”
Emmet Cole – Spanish researchers have developed computer software that can identify grapevine cultivation from satellite images, enabling scientists to calculate the potential wine production of an area under cultivation. Continue reading “Spanish develop vineland recognition software”
Prado de Irache, the estate wine of Bodegas Irache in Navarra, has gained DO Pago status. Continue reading “Navarra: new DO Pago”
by Victor de la Serna – If the burgeoning trend toward a return to lower-alcohol wine is confirmed by Continue reading “Spain grapples with high alcohol wines”
Gonzalez Byass has completed the purchase of a winery in the Somontano region of Spain. Continue reading “SPAIN: Gonzalez Byass snaps up Viñas del Vero winery”
Sophie McLean
A report predicts Spain will produce more wine than France by 2015. Continue reading “Spain to overtake France as producer”
