Harvest Report
More Than 75 Million Kilos Picked in the Best Harvest of the Past Ten Years (10/5)
Ribeira Sacra Finishes Third-Best Harvest in its History (10/13)
The DO in which the amount of grapes harvested has grown the most is in Valdeorras (a total of 7.8 million kilos collected), where this vintage represents an increase of 30% compared to the average of the last decade and 20% more than in the previous vintage. In this DO, 76% white grapes and 24% red grapes were harvested. Godello made up 96% of white grapes harvested and mencía made up 75% of red grapes.
In Rías Baixas the total harvest also increased with a total of 44.3 million kilos collected. This was 22% higher than the average for the decade and 8% more than last year. This makes it the largest harvest in Rías Baixas’ history. 99% of grapes harvested were white varieties, among which albariño made up 97%.
DO Ribeiro came in second place for quantity harvested with 11.5 million kilos, 6% more than the previous year. As in Rías Baixas, white grapes predominate (accounting for 93% of the total).
DO Ribeira Sacra had a total harvest of 6.6 million kilos, making 2023 the third most abundant harvest since the DO’s inception in 1996. Mencía made up 78% of the grapes harvested this year.
DO Monterrei set a new harvest record, increasing in quantity by 2% compared to last year and by 29% compared to the average for the past ten years. Here the most abundant variety is godello (55% of the total), while mencía represents 21% of the total harvest.
The Economic Impact of Galicia’s DOs: 258 Million Euros and 2,858 Jobs (10/9)
The Juana de Vega Foundation published a new independent sector report in which it estimates the socioeconomic impact that wine-growing DOs have in their territories and in Galicia as a whole. The report says that Galicia’s Designations of Origin make up an average of 1.9% of their regions’ GDP and are responsible for 2.1% of jobs in their regions. In absolute figures, this means that wine production within Galicia’s DOs has a value of over €258 million and creates 2,858 jobs. Contrary to what one might think, DO Ribeiro contributes the most to its regional GDP and Rías Baixas contributes the least.
When it comes to the influence that the different wine designations of origin have on their respective regions, DO Ribeiro contributes the most to the GDP of its region (4%) and generates 5.4% of jobs. In contrast, Rías Baixas makes up just 1.7% of regional GDP and 1.4% of employment. At first glance, this conflicts with the data placing Rías Baixas as the DO with the greatest economic impact (it accounts for over half of wine production and added value and half of Galician wine jobs). The explanation lies in the fact that the study includes many towns where vineyards occupy only a small part of the economy, and that large areas of Rías Baixas like O Salnés have a more diverse economic base.
Monterrei and Valdeorras are in the middle of the pack. The former generates 3.3% of regional GDP and 2.9% of total jobs, compared to 2.6% of GDP and 3% employment for the latter. Although DO Ribeira Sacra contributes only 1.3% of regional GDP, it accounts for 4.1% of employment.
In terms of the 258 million-euro production value of wines with Designation of Origin in Galicia, Rías Baixas contributes 61.6% (€159 million); Ribeiro 12.6% (€32.7 million); Ribeira Sacra 9.7% (€25 million); Valdeorras 9.3% (€23.9 million) and Monterrei 6.8% (€17.6 million).
The estimate of the gross added value generated by each denomination puts Rías Baixas at €100.9 million; Ribeiro at €20.7 million, Ribeira Sacra at €15.9 million, Valdeorras at €15.2 million, and Monterrei at €11.2 million.
The study also addresses wine production, internal demand and interregional and international trade in order to complete the macroeconomic image of the Galician wine industry. Among all these factors, it stands out that wine production in Galicia is much lower than demand. The study found that Galicians consume about 1.3 times as much wine as is produces in Galicia.
Ribeira Sacra Looks to Priorat to Save Historic Terraced Vineyards (10/17)
Priorat: An Example of How to Increase Wine Value and Recover Interest in Viticulture (11/9)
Priorat, in Tarragona (Catalonia), is today one of the leading areas for wine production in Spain. Some of Spain’s most expensive wines are produced in this DO, like L’Ermida, which costs more than €1,000 a bottle. In recent years, new growers interested in continuing work in the vineyards are joining the DO while other wine-growing areas of Spain are dying out due to the lack of generational renewal.
Salus Álvarez, oenologist and president of DO Priorat, revealed some key points at a conference with winegrowers held in Pantón (Lugo), organized by the Ribeira Sacra-Courel Rural Development Group (GDR) with the collaboration of DO Ribeira Sacra. Renowned winegrower René Barbier, who was another driver of the Priorat’s development, also participated.
Álvarez pointed out certain similarities between Ribeira Sacra and Priorat, since both territories face common challenges such as the lack of generational renewal, difficulties in mechanization of the vineyard, and even the candidacy as a World Heritage Site that both presented.
Antonio Lombardía, president of DO Ribeira Sacra, recognized that the region is at a decisive moment for its future. This opinion is widespread, as many growers and winemakers who participated in the event pointed out. “We’re in a phase of thinking about where we’re going, we’re still just starting the journey”, said Diego Rodríguez, third-generation grower and owner of the winery Don Bernardino.
Priorat is a wine region with a great historical tradition that has many parallels with Ribeira Sacra, starting with the area covered by the DO, which in both cases is around 2,000 hectares. Located in a mountainous area of the province of Tarragona, what is today an internationally recognized brand until long ago supplied bulk wine to the grocery stores of Barcelona. The revolution came at the end of the last decade of the 90s, when a group of producers – among them René Barbier – opted for wines whose uniqueness justified the price of a viticulture marked by orographic conditions.
“Either we’re able to have a great region that produces great wines or we’ll have a few large wineries in a mediocre region.” That was their initial reflection, and from there they began to work to enhance their vineyards, their wines and prevent the abandonment of the countryside that they were already experiencing.
There are many in Ribeira Sacra who think that the survival of its most characteristic wine-growing landscape is also dependent on a classification that differentiates special vineyards. Vineyards on terraces with optimal conditions for making great wines, but doomed to abandonment without a price for the grapes that takes into account the high costs of work done by hand. “[A classification] is neither useful for everyone nor is it mandatory to follow it, but it is one more option for those who want to follow that path,” says Antonio Lombardía, president of the Ribeira Sacra designation of origin. “We have,” he adds, “to have the broadest information possible so we can then make a decision about where we should go.”
Single-parcel wines occupy the top of the pyramid in this type of classifications. But these vineyards must demonstrate their potential through their soils, orientations or vine age. The grower agrees to follow more restrictive criteria—especially in terms of yields—to guarantee that special character. The reward for this commitment to uniqueness is a back label that’s different from the one for generic Priorat wines.
“These types of qualifications aren’t a magic wand, but they open up possibilities for the production of wines with the greater traceability that the market demands,” says Ribeira Sacra’s president. These small-scale wines, as he highlights, are those that can provide a plus to the area. “We’re in the information-collecting phase. Then it will be necessary to decide if a classification is appropriate and with what criteria we do it,” explains Lombardía.
“Ribeira Sacra was born with subzones, says Rodríguez. “We need to strengthen and develop the subzones because that’s what the market demands,” he says. For Rodríguez, single-parcel wine should be at the top of any classification due to its “identifying characteristics.” But he emphasizes that a pyramid of quality should correspond “to an established model that brings value to this area and that doesn’t just seek immediate profitability.”
DO Rías Baixas Committed to Doubling Sales Value by 2030 (10/9)
DO Rías Baixas presented its Master Plan 2030, carried out by Boston Consulting Group, in which it shows the strategy to be followed towards 2030. The document was presented by the secretary and president of the Regulatory Council, Ramón Huidobro and Isidoro Serantes, as well as by the general manager and senior partner, Magín Yañez.
The Master Plan is structured in four basic pillars from which emanate the strategic lines that could double sales value (according to the data used for the execution of the study, the turnover of Rías Baixas was 160 million euros).
The four basic pillars are:
–More volume without losing quality: increase production through controlled growth and complemented by a strategy that ensures the highest-quality wines.
–More internationalization: continue the commitment to internationalization in strategic countries, maintaining national positioning.
–More production of premium wines: commit to the premium sector through greater production of wines meant for aging and aged wines: “This is an important market trend that represents an excellent opportunity for the wines of Rías Baixas due to their qualities”, according to the Master Plan.
–More sustainability and innovation: through, for example, the implementation of a common traceability tool that takes advantage of the latest technological development.
In Spain, DO Rías Baixas comes in second for white wine sales. 66% of wines from Rías Baixas are sold in Spain, while the remaining 34% are sold abroad. Around 50% of these are exported to the United States and the United Kingdom.
In a study carried out within the analysis framework of the Master Plan, it became clear that the consumer, especially the international consumer, views wines from Rías Baixas as high-quality. According to this study, the Spanish consumer has a high perception of the quality of Rías Baixas wines compared to other competing DOs. Internationally, buyers perceive the highest level of quality at a lower price in wines from Rías Baixas compared to other identically-positioned wines. The study also considers that international consumers value original grape varieties like albariño along with quality.