2014 Argentina (Mendoza) Vintage
Heat, frequent rain and hail cut Argentina's 2014 crop, and the INV said extreme weather left Mendoza and San Juan wines low in alcohol.
Argentina's 2014 harvest was forecast to be the poorest in 15 years after a combination of intense heat, frequent rains and hail; the December forecast put the national crop 27% below 2013. Picking outran that forecast: harvest data to 13 April counted 22,244,179 quintales, and the final national figure was 26,316,454 quintales, with Mendoza harvesting 70% of the grapes for wine and must. INV president Guillermo García said a series of extreme climatic events left wines low in alcohol across Mendoza and San Juan; noting a significant difference from the previous harvest, he said that in no way meant there would not be quality wines (translated).
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The December harvest forecast, confirmed by the February adjustment, had 2014 set to become the poorest vintage of the last 15 years in Argentina, due to a combination of intense heat, frequent rains and hail, with 20,957,894 quintales of grapes to pick, 27% below 2013; the March adjustment put losses at around 30%. Picking then ran ahead of the forecast. Harvest data to 13 April counted 22,244,179 quintales nationally, cutting the projected drop to 22% or perhaps less, and Mendoza's harvest had reached 14.7 million quintales, still far from the 19.6 million of 2013 but closer to the 14.9 million of 2012. Daniel Rubio of the INV said the deadline would be 4 May, that grapes remained, and that botrytis would not have affected the grapes usually used for must as much as expected. The growers' body Centro de Viñateros estimated average losses of no less than 25%, reaching 50% in some oases such as the zona Sur. The final national harvest was 26,316,454 quintales, with Mendoza harvesting 70% of the grapes for wine and must.
- Forecast: the poorest vintage in 15 years, 27% below 2013, after intense heat, frequent rains and hail
- By 13 April: 22,244,179 quintales nationally; Mendoza at 14.7 million quintales, against 19.6 million in 2013
- INV's Daniel Rubio: a 4 May deadline, with botrytis less damaging than expected on grapes for must
- Final national harvest: 26,316,454 quintales; Mendoza harvested 70% of the grapes for wine and must
- The December forecast, confirmed in February, had 2014 set to become the poorest Argentine vintage in 15 years, due to a combination of intense heat, frequent rains and hail
- That forecast put the national crop at 20,957,894 quintales, 27% below 2013; a March adjustment put losses at around 30%
- Harvest data to 13 April counted 22,244,179 quintales nationally, trimming the projected drop to 22% or perhaps less; Mendoza had reached 14.7 million quintales, against 19.6 million in 2013 and 14.9 million in 2012
- The final national harvest was 26,316,454 quintales; Mendoza harvested 70% of the grapes for wine and must and made 11,239,564 hl of wine
- The 2014 alcohol degree for Mendoza was fixed at 12.30% v/v for white wines and 12.5% v/v for color wines
Production and Alcohol
Announcing the final harvest data, INV president Guillermo García said that "the harvest came with climatic diversity, with a series of extreme climatic events that led to wines with low alcohol, across the whole wine region of Mendoza and San Juan" (translated). The 2014 alcohol degree was fixed at 12.30% v/v for white wines and 12.5% v/v for color wines in Mendoza, and a unified 12.3% v/v in San Juan. Argentina made 14,865,509 hl of wine and 4,640,900 hl of must, of which Mendoza made 11,239,564 hl of wine and 2,393,550 hl of must. García noted a significant difference from the previous harvest, but said it "in no way means we will not have quality wines" (translated).
- Extreme climatic events led to low-alcohol wines across Mendoza and San Juan (INV president Guillermo García)
- Mendoza alcohol degree fixed at 12.30% v/v (whites) and 12.5% v/v (color wines)
- Mendoza made 11,239,564 hl of wine and 2,393,550 hl of must
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See the Pivot+- 2014 Argentina: forecast as the poorest vintage in 15 years after a combination of intense heat, frequent rains and hail.
- Volumes: December forecast 20,957,894 quintales nationally, 27% below 2013; final national figure 26,316,454 quintales, with Mendoza harvesting 70% of the grapes for wine and must.
- Mendoza had harvested 14.7 million quintales by 13 April, against 19.6 million in 2013 and 14.9 million in 2012.
- INV president Guillermo García: extreme climatic events led to low-alcohol wines across Mendoza and San Juan; Mendoza's alcohol degree was fixed at 12.30% v/v for whites and 12.5% v/v for color wines.
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