Concerns over large European harvest unfounded, according to farmers co-operative

Europe is forecast to produce 160m hectolitres of wine according to the lastest estimates released by the European Farmers and European Agi-Cooperatives body Copa-Cogeca.

“At the end of spring we were very much afraid the crop would be very large,” said chairman of the Langeudoc-based group Thierry Coste, adding that inventories of European wines were not particularly high.

“Supplies do not seem to be long and once again the weather did a good job at regulating the balance between supply and demand,” he said.   This type of harvest would have been “amost perfect" for marketing the wines were the situation normal, he added, going on to call for meaningful action from Brussels to support the wine industy. “Introducing market management aid for at least one, two three years – perhaps longer – is an absolute must.”