Wine producers in Southwestern Bulgaria will drink more bitter wine this year, because their grape yields will be about 30% lower than last year's, reports bTV. There are two serious reasons for this. The first is the drought, and the second - high temperatures.
“For the last 7-8 years, there has been a permanent shift of the grape harvest to an earlier period due to the heat, which has been going on for months. This affects not only us, but also many colleagues throughout Bulgaria“, commented Ivan Gizdavkov, a wine producer from Sandanski.
According to him, despite irrigation, the vineyards are suffering from the heat. This should not seriously deteriorate the quality of the wine, as production technologies have advanced, but the process becomes more complex and more expensive.
“When the grape juice is less, the yield decreases and the price of the wine inevitably increases“, explained Gizdavkov.
The winemaker called on the state to pay more attention to winegrowers and fruit growers, who, according to him, are often placed in the shadow of grain producers when distributing subsidies.
Despite the difficulties, hope remains that there will be quality wine from the region this year - albeit with a higher price, dictated by the vagaries of the climate.