A leading winemaker has warned of possible wine shortages after a second successive year of low yields due to poor rainfall, renewing calls for government subsidies to encourage new vineyards.
George Delicata, managing director of Emmanuel Delicata Winemaker, said that while some 350 millimetres of rain had fallen in the past year, higher than the record lows of the year before and more evenly spread out over the year, this was still far below average – with crops feeling the strain.
“We will soon be running out of wine,” Mr Delicata said, insisting this was not an exaggeration. “Already some of our brands aren’t lasting the full year on shelves; they’re not keeping up with demand.”
This demand, he added, had been steadily increasing with greater tourism numbers and increased purchasing power for the Maltese, compounding the difficulties in supply due to recent weather conditions. “We had what was nearly a bumper crop three years ago, and the excess stock from that has been a mitigating factor, but in the long run Malta needs far more vineyards to cope.”
We had what was nearly a bumper crop three years ago, and the excess stock from that has been a mitigating factor, but in the long run Malta needs far more vineyards to cope
Two independent vineyards that spoke to this newspaper confirmed the prognosis. One said that although there had been a significant improvement on the disastrous harvest of the previous year, its losses were still being felt.
Winemakers Marsovin said last year that the record low rainfall of 265 millimetres had led to the loss of 35 per cent of indigenous vines and a wine yield up to 25 per cent lower than 2015. The company warned at the time that the damage was likely to carry over into the next harvest.
Marsovin are expected to announce their outlook for this year later this week.
The cruel year for local crops also showed no kindness to the olive industry, with one producer having seen his harvest drop by more than four-fifths in 2016. Similar problems have been felt elsewhere in Europe this year, with Italian winemakers predicting a yield 10 to 15 per cent lower than usual after a dry winter and the effects of the summer heatwave nicknamed Lucifer.
Mr Delicata, speaking to the Times of Malta, said the heatwave had not proved as much of a determining factor locally as the relatively low rainfall.
He stressed, however, that maintaining current levels of production in the years to come would require urgent investment in new vineyards, suggesting a figure of 1,000 tumoli over the next 10 years.
Existing vineyards in Malta currently cover an area roughly six times the size of Valletta.
“In Italy, they receive subsidies and investment to modernise their vineyards,” Mr Delicata said, restating the industry’s longstanding calls for government support. “It’s an open market, and we’re trying to compete, but it’s not a level playing field. In fact, it’s stacked against us.”
Winemakers have also called before for a focus on replanting indigenous vines. Marsovin said last year the girgentina and ġellewża varieties could face extinction within a decade if their protection were not prioritised.