Race against time to rescue wine grapes in Argentina

VISTA FLORES, Argentina — At the foot of the Andes in Argentina's Valle de Uco wine region, frantic picking is underway to try and save what remains of predictably the worst grape harvest in decades.

It is a race against time in the fabled Mendoza wine region in the west of the South American country, which is once again in the grip of La Nina, a periodic weather phenomenon that cools surface temperatures and intensifies drought.

"We hurry … because we are afraid of another frost," enologist Marcelo Pelleriti of the Monteviejo winery told Agence France-Presse. "In a year like this, anything is possible."

Pelleriti said this is "one of the most difficult (seasons) in the wine history of the province of Mendoza" where 78 percent of Argentina's wine — mainly reds — comes from.

The vines suffered much these past months with frost, hail, extreme temperatures and drought.

Cellar master Jose Mounier showed AFP the damage caused by frost at the flowering stage to a cluster of cabernet franc grapes, misshapen beyond recognition.

"Fewer grapes means more work," he said, explaining that pickers have to separate healthy grapes from damaged ones by hand.

"We must still create a wine with these problems in mind."

Monteviejo, a large vineyard between 1,000 and 1,200 meters above sea level, expects to have a harvest 50 percent smaller than last year. Some others in the region have lost everything.

For Argentina as a whole, this year's harvest will not exceed 15.4 million metric tons of grapes, according to projections by the National Institute of Vitiviniculture.

This is about 40 percent less than a "normal" year for a country that oscillates between five and seven on the world's top 10 wine producers' list.

The final numbers will be known in May. In 2021, the harvest was 22.2 million tons.

"We are looking at the worst harvest in more than 20 years, perhaps in 60," Mario Gonzalez, president of the Argentine Wine Corporation, said.

Argentina has just emerged from two good commercial wine years, linked directly to increased home consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. The domestic market accounts for about 70 percent of Argentine wine sales, and reached some 20 or 21 liters per person per year in 2020 and 2021.

Last year, that was down again to about 18 liters.

The 2022 drop "will have a strong impact" on the industry, Gonzalez said.

Agencies Via Xinhua