Dive Summary:
- The EU farmer's union has reported record low harvests of wine grapes around Europe due to drought, cold and hail.
- The numbers are expected to fall significantly from last year, with a 20% drop in France and another 7% drop in Italy after an already disappointing harvest last year.
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Fortunately for wine enthusiasts, the hard conditions actually concentrate the sugar within the grapes even more, making for a more sought after and robust product.
From the article:
"BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union's farmers' union is warning that drought, cold and hail have conspired to produce the worst wine harvest for the region in up to half a century.Farmers union expert Thierry Coste said Wednesday that France's grape harvest is expected to slump by almost 20 percent compared to last year. Italy's grape crop showed a 7 percent drop â on top of a decline in 2011.The Champagne and Burgundy regions were hard hit by weather conditions that particularly affected the chardonnay grape.Coste said there may be an upside to the bad harvest â the quality of the win..."
