The lack of rain, drought, hail and late frosts in different parts of the country hit the harvest hard. The National Vitivinícola Institute (INV) announced the lowest harvest forecast in the last 50 years. In the region, it was advanced with very important losses for the majority and there were few who were able to sustain the volumes thanks to their defense systems.
“We are facing intense global climatic challenges and we must prepare”, is the common expression of the winemakers from Río Negro and with Neuquén.
At the end of October 2022, a late frost hit grape growers across the country. In our valleys it was 7 hours of very cold and not even the establishments with defense technology might stop it.
In February, with the harvest ready to lift, another cold night affected the vineyards. In the Uco Valley, Mendoza, something unprecedented happened: the growers had to turn on the heaters to save the grapes. (See box)
Half of the vineyards were damaged
The INV calculated a reduction of 52% for the production of grapes for the south of the country the data obtained, following the field work carried out until February 15, and show an estimate of grape production for the south of the country, with a reduction of 52%. This calculated on the 170,688 quintals that were harvested last year and the 81,700 quintals that are expected to be harvested this season.
from Río Negro and Neuquén
The president of the INV, Martín Hinojosa, explained that climatic contingencies, “will lead us to have one of the lowest harvests in recent years; the weather is punishing us more and more frequently and in light of this we must begin to work on effective and modern defenses that allow us to fight and continue producing”.
From San Patricio del Chanar, Julio Viola one of the owners of the Malma winery He reported that in his case, the harvest was brought forward by regarding two weeks due to weather issues and they ended quickly due to the few grapes. “It’s something atypical but for the quality of the wines the grape is excellent, healthy, balanced,” he said. And he added that they have sectors with frost defense and were able to partially protect the field, although they had losses.
The Malma vineyard is one of the coldest in El Chañar, which is why they adapted and invested in defenses, but he assures that “it is not common for wineries here to have them, it was always a frost-free zone. But In recent years we have seen the climate become more extreme. There are hotter days and colder days. Since ’85 I think there hasn’t been a frost in February and now it has happened”.
The testimony of the most damaged wineries
In Fernández Oro, Cervantes and Valle Medio, many small wineries lost almost their entire harvest. It is the case of Gaspar Ratrilla, from Bodega Aonikenk, who is looking once morest the clock for a way to harvest the few grapes that were left. “We are starting the harvest and even though we have very little, it is difficult for us to find harvesters. The damage from the spring frost was very great. Now, with the grape, ready ice cream once more. We have very few kilos and we take care of what is left because the pigeons are eating it, we cannot lift it yet, ”she said.
The lack of personnel for field work is also a factor that affects the entire country.with sparse rows and more differences between the bunches, the harvest becomes complex and more expensive.
That is why in Valle Medio, some producers who saved some grapes ask for 150 pesos per kilo but the harvest must be done by the winemaker. (See box)
The largest wineries in the region incorporated mechanized harvesting a few years ago.
A shorter crop due to scarce grapes
The oenologist Horacio Bibiloni from the Canale winery, from General Roca, explained that in his case the harvest began on February 22 and will end by the end of March. It will be a short harvest, there are fewer grapes and the maturity was brought forward due to the high temperatures.
“The harvest is compressed, under normal conditions we would have had a break between variety and variety and we finished in April. We are at 50% of a normal harvest volume. The decline was great. The further south, the more it decreases but it affected the entire country, ”he said.
The elaboration of wines will be less, but Warehouses normally work with technical stock. When having volume of wine in storageeven though there is less production, if the next harvest is good they will recover the stock, they will not run out of wine.
- 1.551
- The hectares in production in Río Negro. Only 5 percent have a frost defense system
“The decrease is not seen immediately and also plays into the equation, the sales volumes and the export that can be achieved,” explained Bibiloni.
In Río Colorado, the Trina Winery brought forward the harvest but “with incredible fruit,” says Ezequiel Naumiec, the owner. He says that they were very lucky because the frost did not catch them, nor the stone that fell there.
“A very small percentage of the winemakers in Patagonia have frost protection. Spray defense is the only thing that works, I set fire and we did not defend anything. The frosts have been punishing us for a long time, but what happened is that this was very long, it lasted 6 or 7 hours. You can’t stop that cold wall with anything, ”he assured.
Also add that the summer was difficult. It was very hot, they had 40 degrees in the farm, that causes dehydration. Ezequiel Naumiec gave a lecture on climate change and how it affects their businesses.
“You have to understand that you live from the environment and we have to start taking care of ourselves. We make organic wines, with an ecological perspective and it makes us continue in depth with this: we owe ourselves 100 percent to nature”he concluded.
The purchase of grapes grows: from 150 to 250 pesos per kilo
Faced with a scenario with few grapes to make wine -and with few places to get it because the frosts hit everyone equally- the producer who has is tempted these days by the winemakers.
Some small producers from Valle Medio ask for 150 pesos per kilo of grapes but the buyer must take charge of lifting it.
It is that the cost of harvesting will be more expensive this time, because the worker will have to work much harder, with thinned rows and fewer clusters on the plant.
Other producers estimate that 250 pesos will be paid per kilo of the Malbec variety, the most sought following.
In Mendoza, some lots have already sold for $300 and white grapes are in short supply.
In any case, it is worth clarifying that the price changes according to the variety.
Unpublished: heaters on in February
Climate change produces unprecedented and frightening phenomena: In Mendoza they turned on the heaters in the middle of February to protect the vineyards from frost.
Alcides Llorente is an agronomist engineer, a benchmark of regional viticulture and he is surprised by the abrupt variations of the weather.
“In the 50 years that I have been in this activity, I have not registered untimely climatic accidents, such as October frosts, early frosts (due to the vegetative evolution of the plant) and frosts late or early in the year, which caused significant damage to production. ”, he explained to Río Negro.
He indicated that “spring frosts find the bud in full growth and clusters with small grains. Those at the end of summer or autumn damage the vegetation and dry out the bunches”.
Llorente said that the vine is very susceptible to frost. “In full growth, October and November, with a degree below zero for at least two hours, they burn buds and clusters.”
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