Worldwide, overproduction has long been one of the greatest challenges to the wine industry.

In the last three years Spain, France and Italy's wine production has increased by over 24 million hectolitres. According to figures from the International Wine and Vine Organisation, a bumper crop in Australia, Argentina and Europe has put global wine production at an estimated 287 million hectolitres (the highest since 1992). Most of this increase is attributable to France, Italy and Spain - the world's three largest wine producing countries.

The European Union produces an astonishing 1.5 billion litres of unwanted of wine every year which equates to 4 bottles per person per year. EU spends half a billion euros every year turning wine we don't buy into spirit that's not needed, so that the vineyard owners can survive.

Since 1981, the EU has been distilling surplus wine into industrial alcohol which is a costly process. There is an annual budget of ?220 million which can be used to distil 11 million hectolitres of wine.

Until the 2002 vintage, there had been a crisis distillation each year since the mid-eighties. The last crisis distillation, from the 2001 harvest, removed an extra 7 million hectolitres of wine from the market.

But this year, a combination of higher production, a weak dollar and declining domestic consumption in both Spain and Italy, spells trouble for the EU wine industry - and consequently the possibility of reigniting crisis distillations.

Denis Verdier, president of the CCVF said: "It is the first time in the history that the gravity of the crisis has led to AOC wines calling upon distillation". In addition to the distillation, Mr. Verdier asks for financial assistance in pulling up vines, including 10,000 hectares in the Bordeaux region.

Several reports suggested that half the vineyards in the EU are to be grubbed up. These proposed measures are still being discussed. So the earliest any proposals can become a reality is 2008, this combined with plans to stop buying and distilling surplus wines and relax constrictive winemaking and labelling rules means that Europe is set to continue producing more wine that we want to drink!

About the Author

Visit Vintage Roots at http://www.vintageroots.co.uk, for organic wines

Another short Wine Tours review

Overproduction - the Greatest Challenges to the Wine Industry


Worldwide, overproduction has long been one of the greatest challenges to the wine industry.
In the last three years Spain, France and Italy's wine pr...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Wine Tours Products we recommend

EuroCave Presentation Shelf


Handsome display shelf for EuroCave Performance and Comfort Wine Cellars. Displays 12 bottles upright for easy access. Stores an additional 18 bottles horizontally on half depth shelves.


Price: 149.00 USD



Wine Tours in the news

Learn wine tasting and wine making

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:32:01 PDT
Become a wine master.

Kosher Wines for Rosh Hashanah

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:04:24 PDT
Celebrating Rosh Hashanah this year? Today you will find some excellent, affordable, and delicious wines mostly under $15 ... see this list of tasting notes.

Alex Shamash Oliver

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:39:14 PDT
Oliver Alex Shamash, a Wine Taster originally hailing from Bordeaux, but based in London now. Have always been fascinated by how ‘wine’ is made and how they can be differentiated into grades by their taste. That seems so tricky. But that was something I decided to master.

Top 10 Wine Destinations

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:54:52 PDT
Perhaps the world’s most famous wine destination, the Bordeaux region of France has long been renowned for its vineyards that produce everything from delicious table wines to the most expensive bottles in the world. In Bordeaux, the French passion for food and wine unite for a sensational wine-tasting experience.


Wine Supplies
Wine Cork
Chardonnay Grape | Chardonnay Wine

Labels: Wine Rack | Wine Racks

&type=page">