Galicia is Home to 40% of Spain’s Winegrowers (3/25)
Galicia contains just under 40% of all growers in Spain, according to a new report by Analistas Financieros Internacionales for the Interprofesional del Vino de España.
219,356 Galician winegrowers make up 39.9% of the national total, making Galicia the autonomous community with the most growers in the country. “The Economic and Social Importance of the Wine Sector in Galicia” confirms wine’s importance as a motor of the Galician economy and also reflects the role grape growing plays in stemming demographic losses sustained in rural Galicia.
Galicia Exported Less Wine in 2023, But at Higher Prices (3/13)
Quality is slowly winning the battle with quantity. Although Galician wine exports fell by 27.3% in volume and 10.2% in value last year, the average price per liter was €4.07—23.6% higher than in 2022. Last year, Galicia exported just over 13 million liters of wine, four million liters less than in 2022. However, data shows that the majority of this decline in sales is due to a drop-off in bulk wine exports rather than wine with Denominación de Origen status. Most importantly, the value of Galician wine is growing. The report from the Observatorio Español del Mercado del Vino (OeMv) positions Galicia ahead of all but Andalucía in terms of year-to-year increases in the price per liter of wine in the export markets, showing an increase from €3.29/liter in 2022 to €4.07/liter in 2023, a 23.6% jump in value. This also positions Galicia among the top five autonomous communities regarding price per liter for exports. The Balearic Islands lead Spain with an average price of €9.39, followed by Castilla y León (€7.67), the Canary Islands (€5.32), and the Basque Country (€4.66). The average price per liter of wine in Spain is €1.26.
Climate Change Causing Early Mildew in Rías Baixas (3/23)
Most growers have barely finished pruning, but the first mildew alarm bells are ringing in the Salnés Valley. Mildew is a constant in rainy Rías Baixas, but it normally appears at the end of April. In the last three years, however, the fungus has appeared earlier and earlier. Growers believe this year could break a new record, and many are already treating their vines at the end of March. At the end of February, technicians at the O Areeiro station warned that they had located the first downy mildew cells in O Salnés and recommended applying the first coats of antifungal products.
This year’s weather conditions are the perfect breeding ground for early fungal development. There’s been a lot of rain since mid-October, causing very high accumulated humidity. Temperatures have been relatively mild, with warm days in January, an early spring in mid-February, and temperatures above 20º C (68ºF) at the end of March. This means plants sprout earlier and the risk of downy mildew increases.
The 2023 vintage was also complicated from a vine health point of view, with heavy May fogs which led to mildew outbreaks. Many of these spores remain in the soil, raising this season’s risk level even more.
With Snow on the Mountains, The First Vines Bud in Ribeira Sacra (3/8)
In Ribeira Sacra, a false spring at the end of February gave way to snow at the beginning of March. Not far from the snowy peaks of O Courel and O Incio, some vines are beginning to awaken from their winter sleep. Not all the vines are budding yet, but in the vineyards where buds have started to emerge, growers are crossing their fingers.
Some see echoes of 2020, when frosts at the beginning of April devastated vines after particularly early budding. Earlier budding has been a constant in recent vintages, meaning that in an increasing number of vineyards harvest now takes place in late August rather than in September or even October. In 2020 and 2021, budbreak took place in February in large areas of the Ribeira Sacra, where vineyards are more sheltered from the elements and there are more hours of sun exposure.
Galicia Participates in ProWein For the First Time (3/11)
Sixteen wineries from Galicia’s five denominations of origin, along with the Consellería do Medio Rural and the Axencia Galega de Calidade Alimentaria (Agacal), took up their posts at ProWein for the first time this year. ProWein is one of the largest wine fairs in the world, attended by over 50,000 wine and spirits professionals from around the world and nearly 6,000 exhibitors from 60 countries. The Galician contingent focused on showing off Galician wine and gastronomy, demonstrating how the influence of Galicia’s climates, soils and native varieties characterize and define the quality of Galician vineyards. They also displayed 32 wines that won prizes in this year’s “Tastings of Galicia.” The regional Ministry of Agriculture said they are committed “to continue strengthening Galicia as a wine tourism destination…[and] get behind the Galician Brand.”