Spanish bulk wine is turning up in bottles and bag-in-box from Portugal to Germany, but surplus stocks in Portugal have prompted producers and regions to call for greater controls – some even want quotas on wine imports from Spain. Barnaby Eales reports.
After the Chinese dropped the punitive tariffs on Australian wine, prices have been rising. Argentina is fluctuating, while South Africa remains stable. A newly planned tariff might cause significant imbalance for some countries.
Weather conditions and market responses are creating a patchwork landscape across Europe's bulk wine regions. While some areas register minimal frost damage and long-awaited rainfall, others brace for potential price increases due to lower harvests elsewhere.
The global bulk wine market has reached the midway point of 2024 with activity levels that appear healthier than they were at the same stage of last year. This is largely due to three areas of activity.
The small 2023 harvest has left Spain with low stocks of all styles, especially white. But a normal-size crop this year should remedy the situation. Despite the shortages, red wine prices are still falling, thanks to poor demand.
The Organisation of Vine & Wine’s recently-published ‘State of the World Vine & Wine Sector 2023’ report showed that the gains in global consumption made between the mid-1990s and the consumption peak in 2007 have since completely unwound – despite the global population having risen by 1.5bn in the meantime.
It’s got a wine-growing history that dates back to the Roman world. It’s got more than 220 authorised grape varieties over 55,000 hectares of vineyards, and it’s one of the most exciting wine-growing countries in Europe.
