Spain's cava producers seek creative fixes as drought threatens grape harvests

Record ID: 1736274

  • Title: Spain's cava producers seek creative fixes as drought threatens grape harvests
  • Date: 1st August 2023
  • Summary: SANT SADURNI D´ANOIA, BARCELONA, SPAIN (RECENT - JULY 12, 2023 (REUTERS) (MUTE) VARIOUS OF DRONE SHOTS OF VINEYARDS ENOLOGISTS WALKING IN VINEYARDS DRY GRAPES HANDLED BY ORIOL ROIG VARIOUS OF BRANCHES WITH DRIED GRAPE (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) EVA PLAZAS, ENOLOGIST AT VILARNAU CAVA, SAYING: "The vine has died. We think that they are some 30-year-old vines which have very deep roots and with this drought the water has not reached the roots." VARIOUS OF PLAZAS LOOKING AT THE DRIED CLUSTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) ORIOL ROIG, VITICULTURIST, SAYING: "We are afraid that this will continue. The great fear is this, that this drought, will be so responsible that this small example will become more general. This is the fear we have." VARIOUS OF DRIED GRAPES (MUTE) DRONE SHOT FROM VILARNAU CELLAR WITH A WATER RESERVOIR VARIOUS OF WATER RESERVOIR HALF EMPTY VARIOUS OF DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM USING WATER COLLECTED FROM RAIN DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM INSTALLED IN LINES OF VINEYARDS VARIOUS OF GRAPES VARIOUS OF ENOLOGIST DOING GREEN PRUNING TO REGULATE THE NUMBER OF GRAPES (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) ORIOL ROIG, VITICULTURIST, SAYING: "These are necessary measures to try to mitigate as much as possible the drought we are experiencing. In the end, if we had larger water regimes, it would be a practice that might not be necessary. But in the years that we've had such severe droughts, it's very important to carry out this task to optimize the little water there is for the fruit we want to achieve and that, in the end, this fruit ripens in the best possible way." VILARNAU CELLARS SOLAR PANELS IN VILARNAU’S CELLARS BOTTLES STOCKED IN THE CELLARS (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) EVA PLAZAS, ENOLOGIST AT VILARNAU CAVA, SAYING: "Climate change affects us not only in production but also in changing the mentality of viticulture." PLAZAS WATCH (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) EVA PLAZAS, ENOLOGIST AT VILARNAU CAVA, SAYING: "And I think the future will go like this: in other words, native varieties, much wider planting frames, try to reuse the water we have and, in the end, little by little we will have quality grapes in the area." PLAZAS DURING INTERVIEW VARIOUS OF FERMENTATION PROCESS LLUIS COLL WALKING IN VINEYARDS LLUIS COLL SETTING A HUMIDITY SENSOR TO KNOW THE UNDERGROUND WATER LEVEL VARIOUS OF COLL WORKING WITH HIS COMPUTER (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) LLUIS COLL, 62, AGRONOMIST, SAYING: "We are not prepared (for climate change), I would say, but we are getting ready. The agricultural sector has an advantage and a disadvantage. It is a very resilient sector. We often own the land and we love it and we always look for ways to survive. It is very difficult to leave the land. It's one of the things that can help make the change a little bit and the adaptation good enough so that in a few years we can continue working." VARIOUS OF HUMIDITY AND WIND SENSOR COLL TYPING ON HIS COMPUTER AMONG VINEYARDS SANT SADURNI D´ANOIA, SPAIN (RECENT – JULY 24, 2023 (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF QUIM TOSAS, PRESIDENT OF THE CAVA ASSOCIATION (SOUNDBITE) (Catalan) QUIM TOSAS, PRESIDENT OF THE CAVA ASSOCIATION, SAYING: "The situation is dramatic in that we can lose 35% to 55% of a relatively normal harvest.” VARIOUS OF QUIM TOSAS AT INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (CATALAN) QUIM TOSAS, PRESIDENT OF THE CAVA ASSOCIATION, SAYING: "I think that in this case the public administration is aware of it, I know it is sensitive to it, but surely it should make an effort to help the producers of raw materials, but also the producers (of cava). Because the fixed costs are both for those who have a vineyard and for those who have a winery." VARIOUS OF DRY VINEYARD (MUTE) VARIOUS OF DRONE SHOTS OF VINEYARDS
  • Embargoed: 15th August 2023 10:44
  • Keywords: cava climate change dried grapes dried vinyards drought
  • Location: SANT SADURNI D´ANOIA, SPAIN
  • City: SANT SADURNI D´ANOIA, SPAIN
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Environment,Europe,Weather,Editors' Choice
  • Reuters ID: LVA001117531072023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Vineyards across Catalonia's renowned Penedes cava-producing region are so parched that the roots of 30-year-old vines have died, leaving shrivelled red and green grapes languishing under the intense sun - to the sector's dismay.
    The northeastern region is among the most affected by Spain's long drought, registering the driest start to a year in the first four months of 2023 since records began in 1961.
    The cava sector believes it could lose between 35% and 55% of grapes compared to a relatively normal harvest due to the scarcity of rain, said Quim Tossas, chairman of AE CAVA, a business group representing 75% of producers of the bubbly drink.
    Most cava is sold outside of Spain - the world's second-largest producer of sparkling wine after France. Last year the sector produced 249 million bottles, 4.6% more than in 2021.
    As droughts and higher-than-usual temperatures are expected to intensify as a consequence of climate change, some producers are seeking creative solutions, hoping to reduce the use of water.
    The Vilarnau winery is reusing water for cleaning to also water vineyards, separating vines so they suffer less of what they call "hydric stress" and using other seeds and varieties considered more drought-resistant.
    (Production: Horaci Garcia, Albert Gea, Joan Faus)
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