Harvest losses of up to 80%: wine cellars struggle with fungi and climate change

Some vines did not grow juicy grapes as usual this year, but dry peels instead, which are completely useless for any wine cellar. 

The reason is mildew, a form of fungus, which has wiped out around one third of wine production across Catalonia compared to last year. 

The country’s 11 denominations of origin estimated these losses on September 17, in a gathering at Finca Can Feixas, Cabrera d’Anoia, central Catalonia - yet, they also confirmed that grape quality is not being affected. 

The plague has only worsened an already difficult year, given the widespread decrease in sales due to Covid-19, which has slowed down social activity everywhere. 

Unprecedented impact of mildew

Mildew has been a nightmare for producers due to an especially rainy first half of 2020, prompting the wet conditions this fungus thrives in. 

But this is far from 'just' a one-off plague, as this type of scourge is becoming increasingly more frequent and troublesome.

"In my life, the life of my father and of my grandfather, we have never experienced a year with such a big impact from this fungus like this year," Josep Maria Albet i Noya, the owner of organic wine growers Albet i Noya, tells Catalan News. 

Climate change, the underlying problem

He hopes and expects a better year in 2021, so his main long-term concern is not only mildew, which has caused losses of "up to 80%" in his case, but climate change. 

Although he says mildew is only "probably" to do with climate change, one of the main agricultural trade unions in Catalonia, Unió de Pagesos, takes it for granted on the grounds that lately the land is experiencing more heatwaves, long droughts and prolonged rain episodes, leading to wet conditions. 

“In the first six months of the year we had more than the average rainfall for the whole year,” says Albet. 

Early harvest, another worrying evidence

Even clearer evidence of the impact of climate change on Catalan vines is the fact that the grape harvesting period began in early August and is almost over in Albet i Noya as of late September.