EU sees lower 2023 wine output on big falls in Italy and Spain

PARIS — Wine production in the European Union (EU) is set to fall 6% this year after steep declines in major producers Italy and Spain following adverse weather, the European Commission said on Monday, as the grape harvest winds down.

In its first estimate for this year’s output, the EU executive forecast 2023 wine production of about 150 million hectoliters, with output in Italy and Spain falling 12% and 14% respectively from last year.

Extreme weather and fungal diseases hit vineyards in Italy so much this year that the country will lose its position as the world’s largest wine producer, with France set to reclaim the number one spot for the first time in nine years, Italian wine lobbies said last month.

France’s farm ministry estimated on Friday that wine output there this year would be similar to 2022 and 3% above the five-year average at 46 million hectoliters, though with big differences between regions. The Commission pegged French wine output at 45 million hectoliters.

A hectoliter is the equivalent of 100 liters, or 133 standard wine bottles. — Reuters