Vinetur reports that Spanish wine-export volumes fell 20.2% during the first half of 2026, with the value of exports down 10.2% to approximately €1.56 billion. A major factor was weaker demand for Spanish bulk wine from Italy and France, traditionally important buyers, with Castile-La Mancha particularly exposed to the contraction. The difference between the fall in volume and value indicates that average export prices have risen, but the figures underline continuing pressure on one of the world’s largest wine-exporting industries.
Spain
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Spain’s Wine and Must Output Fell 10.1% to 33.1 Million Hectolitres Through June
Vinetur reports that Spain produced 33.1 million hectolitres of wine and must in the accumulated period through June 2026, down 10.1% year on year, according to figures cited from Spain’s wine interprofessional organisation, OIVE. The figures accompany weaker demand indicators, with domestic wine consumption down 7.2% and export volumes also declining, adding to concerns about the balance between production, inventories and sales ahead of the new harvest.
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Summer Heat Drives Record-early Night Harvest at Catalan Winery
Reuters reports that Catalonia is experiencing its earliest grape harvest on record, with Gramona in Anoia beginning picking on 22 July and moving crews into the vineyards at 3am to escape extreme daytime heat. Temperatures of 35°C to 45°C have put both workers and vines under severe stress, accelerating the ripening of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir destined for sparkling wine. Technical director Roc Gramona said night harvesting could now become permanent, while Reuters Climate Monitor data showed Barcelona’s average July temperature was 5.8°C above the 1961–1990 historical norm, highlighting the increasingly significant effect of climate change on European viticulture.
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Spain’s Biggest Wine Region Drops its 2026 Harvest Forecast
Vinetur reports that Castilla-La Mancha, Spain’s largest wine-producing region, has dropped its 2026 harvest forecast amid extreme heat and increasingly unpredictable conditions late in the growing season. The decision removes an important early planning benchmark for wineries, grape growers and buyers, reflecting uncertainty over how heat and changing weather will ultimately affect yields. The development adds to evidence that climatic volatility is making pre-harvest estimates increasingly difficult across major European wine regions.
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Around 5,000 People Throw 40,000 Litres of Clarete Wine in San Asensio
EFE reports (in Spanish) that approximately 5,000 people took part in the 47th Batalla del Clarete in San Asensio, La Rioja, using buckets, water pistols, agricultural sprayers, tractors and a municipal water cannon to throw 40,000 litres of local rosé wine. The tradition began in 1977 and is now recognised as a regional festival of tourist interest, drawing increasing numbers of overseas visitors. The celebration takes place near hundreds of historic underground cellars and highlights San Asensio’s long-standing identity as a centre for clarete production.
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Are Fresher Reds the Future of Spanish Wine?
The Drinks Business reports that Spanish producers are leaning into lighter, fresher reds with less oak and a stronger focus on terroir and sustainable vineyard practice, reflecting wider shifts in taste. The article links this move to younger consumers and export demand, with producers such as Raventós Codorníu and Bodegas Martínez Lacuesta arguing that drinkers increasingly want subtler, more balanced wines that are easier to enjoy across a wider range of occasions.
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Cava Sales Are Hit Again By Drought
Just Drinks reports that Cava sales fell again in 2025 as drought continued to squeeze supply, with international volumes down 18.7% to 113.9 million bottles and domestic sales also slipping. Total sales dropped to 190 million bottles, down 12.88% year on year, showing that Spain’s sparkling wine sector is still being shaped more by production limits than by a collapse in demand, even as producers try to protect value and premium positioning.
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Rías Baixas Considers Curbing Grape Output as Wine Demand Falls
Spain’s Rías Baixas wine region is considering (in Spanish) measures to limit grape production after a record 2025 harvest coincided with a sharp drop in wine consumption, leaving wineries with surplus stock and putting pressure on prices. Industry leaders are discussing a temporary halt to new vineyard plantings and possible adjustments to the maximum yield allowed per hectare in order to better match supply with weaker demand. The article argues that the downturn is being driven mainly by changing consumer habits and declining global wine consumption rather than tariffs, making production control a key strategy for protecting growers and wineries.
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Cava’s Highest Tier Adds Five New Paraje Calificado Wines
D.O. Cava says Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has certified five new Guarda Superior Paraje Calificado Cavas, taking the total in the top tier to 15, with new additions including three Sumarroca bottles plus Carles Andreu’s L’Era del Celdoni and Vins El Cep’s MIM Natura Blanc de Noirs. The press release says the wines met strict regulatory requirements and were revalidated by a panel including Masters of Wine and leading sommeliers, and it reiterates that Paraje Calificado is reserved for single estate Cavas with demanding criteria such as hand harvesting, estate vinification, vintage dating and a minimum 36 months ageing, with 100% organic status from the 2025 harvest. Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News adds that four family run wineries are also set to become D.O. Cava “Integral Producers”, meaning they carry out the whole winemaking process on their own property.