Climate change threatens wine industry: worst wine harvest in 62 years

Climate change threatens wine industry: worst wine harvest in 62 years

Global wine production suffered its biggest decline in six decades last year as extreme environmental conditions such as droughts, fires and other climate-related problems reduced the grape harvest by 10 percent. In particular, Italy and Australia recorded a decline of 23 and 26 percent in production, respectively. France, on the other hand, recorded four percent growth and became the world's largest wine producer due to the sharp decline in production in Italy.

In Germany, wine production fell by 3.8 percent to 8.6 million hectoliters. The year 2023 was characterized by a difficult climate, including a cold, wet spring, followed by drought and later storms with storms and hail. With over two thirds of white wine produced and an increase in the proportion of quality wine to 23.7 percent, there was a diverse production.

237.3 million hectoliters of wine were produced worldwide, compared to 262.6 million hectoliters last year. A three percent decline in wine consumption was noted, partly due to inflation and reduced consumption in China. The impacts of climate change, including droughts, extreme heat and fires, have posed significant challenges to the wine industry, with climate issues cited as the main cause of the decline in production.