Updated October 17
Whenever I visit a winemaker — particularly in the fall — my first question is the obvious one: How did the most recent harvest go? They almost always try to paint a happy, the-glass-is-half-full face on even the worst of years, insisting that, although yields may have been low, the quality of the grapes they were able to bring in was high. And that indeed has been the case over the last several weeks as I made my way around France’s Provence and Italy’s Piemonte.b
Ultimately, of course, the proof will be in the bottles.
Frost, hailstorms and excessive rain at the wrong times have particularly affected French vignerons, resulting in one of the seven smallest vintages of the past century. Production is estimated to be about 39 million hectolitres, a drop of 18 percent from 2023 that may cost France its longstanding title as the world’s largest wine producer. Spain, it seems, has enjoyed a strong resurgence following a miserable year previously and could approach 40 million hectolitres. This despite the fact that Rioja got clobbered by isolated spring hailstorms.
Many vineyards across France were affected by dropping of flowers and young berries as well as a variation in grape size as a result of unusually humid, cool weather during flowering. Downy mildew affected most wine-growing areas, sometimes causing significant losses, while frost and hail also reduced volumes — particularly in the Burgundy-Beaujolais region, which experienced 50 percent more rainfall throughout the growing season than normal.
The official reports predict the loss there could be up to 25 percent more, and a few producers will be suffer greater losses. Gregoire Pissot, technical director at Prosper Maufoux in Saint Aubin, told the Robb Report that harvest could be “30 percent to 50 percent smaller, or even more in some specific appellations.” In Charentes, whose wine is distilled into Cognac, a 35 percent plunge is being predicted.
In Bordeaux, where 8,000 hectares of vines are being uprooted this year as part of a government subsidized program intended to cut over-production. Volumes are expected to drop 10 percent, to levels not seen since 2017. A 19-percent drop in AOP wine made in Champagne is being forecast. For Provence, the estimated reduction is 12 percent. for Alsace, it’s 13 percent.
The Jura wines, impacted by the double whammy of severe frost and mildew, will suffer the most, plunging 71 percent.
Italy’s Piemonte, pictured above in September, battled frost and capricious spring storms and suffered accordingly, but Tuscany and Veneto are reporting strong harvests overall. However, sub-normal rainfall means those regions’ reds will have more pronounced tannins and intensity. A series of late-summer heat spikes in France will also produce more concentrated flavors. But, hey, that’s good news, right?
The bad news? I give the floor to Gaya Ducceschi, the head of Wine & Society and Communication of the Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins (CEEV), the association that represents European wine companies in the wine industry and trade, who explains that “the long-term structural decline in consumption, especially on traditional markets, is at the heart of the current crisis in the sector. The global market for spirits and low- or zero-alcohol products is growing, while instead wine consumption continues to decline. European Union support should focus on improving competitiveness, reducing costs and facilitating access to new consumers.”
Hence, the CEEV together with the European wine sector is launching Vitaevino, a campaign across Europe that will promote wine consumption as being, Ducceschi says, “part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle, emphasizing its cultural and socio-economic role. The campaign will focus on generating broad public support through collective commitment, and encourage citizens, consumers and the global wine community to sign a Declaration supporting the role of wine in society and defending its cultural heritage”.
The rest of the world is a mixed bag. California has now had outstanding back-to-back harvests after years fraught with wild-fire peril. Argentina’s 2024 production figures to be up a whopping 27 percent and Australia 21 percent. But their respective regional neighbors, Chile and New Zealand, are expected to be 10 and 21 percent in the red, respectively. For the Kiwis, that represents a loss of one-fifth of their entire production compared to 2023.
At the super high end, nonetheless, the rich are getting richer. The 10 most expensive wines in the market today according to http://winesearcher.com all sell for more than $13,500 per bottle, topped by the Leroy Musigny Grand Cru at $37,719. Note that all of them are from Burgundy save for the Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese ($16,809) from Germany’s Mosel Valley.
H-Town Happenings
The Prisoner wine dinner — 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, at Grotto Downtown. $125. http://eventbrite.com
Duckhorn Vineyards wine dinner — 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, at McCormick & Schmick’s seafood & Steaks Uptown Park. $150. http://eventbrite.com
Baron Philippe de Rothschild wine dinner — 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at Potente. $506. http://eventbrite.com
Value-priced Bordeaux wines dinner — 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at the Nice Winery. $175. 713 744-7444 or https://www.exploretock.com/nicewines/event/506785/french-wine-dinner
UnWine yourself, the ultimate wine and chocolate tasting experience — 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, at UnWine. $125. http://eventbrite.com
Rodney Strong wine dinner — 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, at The Laura Hotel. $75. http://eventbrite.com
Davanti Wine Dinner with Jeremy Parzen — 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28. $120. Jparzen@gmail.com
Holiday wines and cocktails — 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Atkins House. $65. http://eventbrite.com
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Duckhorn Vineyards wine dinner — 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, at McCormick & Schmick’s seafood & Steaks Uptown Park. $150. http://eventbrite.com
Baron Philippe de Rothschild wine dinner — 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at Potente. $506. http://eventbrite.com
Value-priced Bordeaux wines dinner — 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at the Nice Winery. $175. 713 744-7444 or https://www.exploretock.com/nicewines/event/506785/french-wine-dinner
UnWine yourself, the ultimate wine and chocolate tasting experience — 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, at UnWine. $125. http://eventbrite.com
Rodney Strong wine dinner — 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, at The Laura Hotel. $xxx. http://eventbrite.com
Holiday wines and cocktails — 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Atkins House. $65. http://eventbrite.com
The Sporty Wine Guy 