Duero winegrowers are preparing a harvest “of uncertainties” due to the drought and the intense heat that will cause a drop in production that culminates a “challenging year”, also due to the increase in prices and the scarcity of raw materials.
A very, very challenging year. We came out of a pandemic, then we have the problem of war [Ucrânia] and, currently, the problem of drought, which is the one that is causing us the most damage,” Abraão Nóbrega, a wine grower from Souto Maior, in the municipality of Sabrosa, told the Portuguese news agency.
In the Duero there was a “good birth”, with many clusters in the vineyards and, in terms of health, the year also went well, with few diseases. But 2022 is marked by lack of water and intense heat that made itself felt in July and now in early August.
Abraão Nóbrega described a vineyard in which “the grapes did not develop, in which the berries are painting, changing color, but they have stopped growing.” The grape was “small”.
And it’s still early August. Between now and the harvest, if it doesn’t rain, it will be a very difficult year in terms of production”, he said, predicting a fall “over 30%”.
But, he pointed out, the problem could also extend to next year, because “there are vines that are very messy and that can dry out.”
Difficulties are felt in the vineyard, but not only. “Olives are also falling in the olive grove,” added Abraão Nóbrega, who, at 62, does not remember a year like this.
this is also the year in which “everything increased”from fuels to phytosanitary products, fertilizers or the price of energy.
“Less production, you see quality, and then, with the products that have increased, it is not easy to be a farmer,” he said.
Farmers’ eyes are glued to the sky waiting for the “rain miracle”, but the forecasts are not encouraging.
Manuel Vilela, a 12.5-hectare viticulturist in Cheires, Alijó, has used sunscreen on the vines (kaolin) and even used a spray tractor to spray water on the vines, but said he was unable to solve the problem.
I have completely dry vines, the winter was severe in the sense that it did not rain, the land did not accumulate water, the grapes reached a point where they stagnated, they did not develop,” he points out.
This is, in his opinion, a year to “register and be aware”.
Manuel Vilela said that Wine growers “are in a desperate fight” which will last until harvest. “It’s going to be a misery, the grapes won’t weigh anything. But what worries me is not even the grape anymore, it is the plant itself that is being defeated,” he said.
Celeste Marques, from Adega Cooperativa de Sabrosa, also spoke of a “challenging” year that will culminate in a “harvest of uncertainties”, both “in quantity and quality”.
“We were recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, then came the war and the increase in prices, the lack of materials such as bottles and labels,” he said, referring to the fact that, in recent weeks, some of the members of this cooperative have reported scorched situations (where the berry is burned) due to heat.
The Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho (IVV) forecasts that wine production should download in Portugal about 9% compared to the previous campaign, with expected decreases in the Duero Demarcated Region of 20%.
José Alexandre Carvalho, from the Sabrosa delegation of the Associação de Agricultores de Trás-os-Montes, points to “a very sharp drop in production” and calls for measures such as the possibility of irrigation, now only allowed in extreme situations and with authorization from the government. Instituto dos Douro y Vinos de Porto (IVDP), alerts for the application of sunscreen, as well as economic aid for the drop in production due to drought.
We are on the verge of a social drama. If the farmer does not receive the money from the grape, he will not treat himself, he will not buy products to apply to the vineyard (…). All of this will contribute to a lot of poverty here in the Duero”, he pointed out, highlighting that the impact is felt more among medium and small producers.
In the region there are also winegrowers with fear of not having enough production to meet the benefit, that is, the amount of must that can be transformed into Port wine and, for this reason, José Alexandre Carvalho defended, in these cases, that this “credit” could be transferred to the next year.
In this harvest, the Duero Demarcated Region will transform a total of 116,000 barrels of must into Port wine, 12,000 more than the previous year.
In the Sabrosa winery, preparations are being finalized for the start of the harvest, which will begin after the ripening tests in the vineyards, but, according to Celeste Marques, solar panels are also being installed in this cooperative to cover the costs with energy. and new ways of saving water are introduced.
Then, during the harvest, other difficulties will be added for the Duero producers, namely, the increase in the price of brandy wineused for the production of Port wine, and also the lack of labor to cut the grapes.
Source: Observadora
