The Assyrtiko grape is not alone. Global wine production fell 10% in 2023 to 237.3 million hectolitres, the lowest level in over 60 years, as “extreme climactic conditions” weighed on harvests, according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).
The issues facing wineries prompted the European Union to last month launch a high level group on wine policy to discuss the “challenges and opportunities for the sector.”
Production in Greece plunged more than one-third in 2023, while output from Italy and Spain dropped by more than one-fifth, according to OIV, as wineries in southern Europe increasingly experienced adverse weather effects including heavy rainfall, drought and early frost.
Such weather events can impact not only a given year’s harvest but also production in following years.
“We are absolutely affected by climate change,” a guide at Castello di Volpaia told CNBC during a recent tour of the 12th century winery in Tuscany, Italy.