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1. Market situation
The Spanish wine sector is hugely important both in terms of the economic value that it generates as well as for the number of jobs its sustains and its role in environmental conservation.
With nearly 1.16 million hectares under vine (of which 97.4% is for wine, 2% for table grapes, 0.3% for raisins and the remaining 0.3% is live plant sales) Spain continues to be the country with the largest area of vine cultivation in the European Union and the world (it accounts for 30% of the total EU area, followed by France and Italy with approximately 22% each, representing around 15% of the world’s area under vine). Spain’s wine producing tradition goes back to the Romans. Vines are Spain’s third most important crop by area after cereals and olive trees.
According to data from the OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine) and its 27 current members, the total Community area under vine has fallen by approximately 40,000 hectares/year, from 4,121,000 hectares in 2000 to 3,844,000 in 2007. This process is a result of a combination of factors including the restructuring of vineyards and the impact of the wine producing crisis due to the strong European and world production in 2004 which affected different regions and wine types differently. The decline in Community vine growing acreage is once again offset by the growth in areas in the rest of the world. Vineyards in Turkey have reduced in numbers (mostly dedicated to table grape production), while they remained stable in China. South America and Oceania increased by about 27,000 hectares in 2007.
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