Grape harvest points to higher wine market

Projections related to this year’s wine grape harvest, 10-15% higher than last year, put next year’s wine market in a particularly favourable light. Next year’s market should advance by about 10% as compared to 2003, despite the showers that the Vrancea region has been experiencing in recent weeks.

This region accounts for over 10% of Romania’s total vineyards in terms of area. According to data released by Organizatia Nationala Interprofesionala Viniviticola (The National Inter-professional Organisation of Vinegrowers and Winemakers – ONIV), which includes the top producers of wine in Romania, the wine market last year amounted to about 300 million euros.

The Agriculture Ministry estimates that this year’s grape harvest, delayed by about two to three weeks because of the bad weather, will reach over 927,000 tonnes, which at a yield of just over 60% would mean 584 million litres of wine. Only about 70% of this (some 400 million litres of wine) will enter the market, part of it being processed by wine producers and part of it being processed by small farmers. The rest will be left to age.

The average price per litre of wine next year should revolve around 0.75 euros/litre, given that the 400 million litres of wine to enter the market will include DOC (Controlled Origin Name) wines and table wines.

Ion Dobronauteanu, ONIV chairman, says that depending on the weather conditions during the following weeks, this year’s grape harvest will be a good or very good one in terms of quality.