The harvest arrives with 116,400 hectares less due to inclement weather.

Spain remains mired in an intense heat wave, but agriculture continues and the grape harvest is widespread in a country that will have 116,400 hectares less under production this year, declared in danger due to inclement weather, especially hailstorms, according to Agroseguro.

However, the accident data from the end of July show a 17.6% decrease in wine grape land affected than in 2024, and a forecast compensation from the agricultural insurance consortium Agroseguro of €61.37 million, the majority of which is in Castilla-La Mancha (€19.80 million). This is followed by La Rioja (€15.50 million) and Castilla y León (€8.9 million).

At this time last year, there were already 92.55 million euros estimated for damage to these crops throughout Spain.

The Agroseguro report on this sector recalls that in April the crop had begun its annual biological cycle when frosts occurred, causing minor damage and the first hailstorms , which caused breakage of buds and early leaves in early plantations.

For months in May, there was a major hailstorm with extensive damage in Jumilla (Murcia), Utiel-Requena (in Valencia), La Rioja and Navarra, and with "greater extension and concurrence" in Castilla-La Mancha.

In June, there were daily hailstorms that destroyed 43,000 hectares , and in July there was a severe storm in La Rioja and Ávila.

With all this data, a campaign will begin in which Spain had 951,991 hectares of potential wine production , according to the latest data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, which has authorized 928 new hectares and 12,541 hectares of replanting.

It thus accounts for 13% of the world's vineyards and is the third largest producer on the planet , after France and Italy.

53% of the area is planted with red grape varieties , with Tempranillo being the main varietal in the Spanish countryside. Ninety-seven percent of this land is protected by a quality designation.

In Spain, there are 532,034 wine farms with an average surface area of 1.72 hectares.

Initial estimates from Cooperativas Agro-Alimentarias for the grape harvest place production between 37.5 and 38 million hectoliters , despite all the impacts it has suffered this year.

In 2024, global wine production again registered a 4.8% drop, as a result of extreme weather events affecting various producing regions. However, in Spain, although the volume was below the five-year average, it was 8% higher than in 2023.

This product generates €22.3 billion in gross added value (GVA) for the economy, 1.6% of GDP—based on 2023 data—according to a report entitled "Economic and Social Relevance of the Wine Sector in Spain," prepared by the financial consultancy AFI and presented by the Interprofessional Wine Association (OIVE) a few weeks ago.

However, the report states that while in absolute terms the total contribution—direct, indirect, and induced—has increased by 9.9% between 2021 and 2023, its impact on the economy as a whole "has been diminished," due to reasons such as falling production volumes, rising costs, and rising wine prices.

In terms of employment, it is estimated that the sector's value chain would be responsible for directly creating and maintaining up to 200,935 jobs.