Barcelona Wine Week kicks off with one eye on 'major problem' of drought

The fourth edition of Barcelona Wine Week has kicked off in the Catalan capital at the Montjuïc site of Fira de Barcelona.

The trade show brings together more than 950 wineries and 73 denominations of origin (DO) from all over Spain.

CEO of Juve & Camps, Meritxell Juvé, said that the event is a "unique opportunity" to make the sector's potential known, while also pointing out that the drought is a "major problem" for the wine makers.

She assures that the current vintage will drop to half of last year's due to the lack of water, and will thus stand at a production of only 25% compared to 2021's crop.

"Solutions must be found so that the cultivation of vines can continue," Juvé remarked.

In the same vein, Josep Lluís Llabrés, of the Can Majoral winery in Mallorca, assured that, if it continues to not rain, production will also drop.

"At the moment, the vines are withstanding this water stress quite well, but if it doesn't rain in a month or two, some will start to die," he warned.

For his part, the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, admitted that the drought situation is "worrying" and assured that the Spanish government is "in contact" with Catalan authorities to find "positive solutions."