IN THE ANNUAL address by the director general of the Paris-based International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) about the state of the wine industry worldwide, Spain’s Pau Roca reported that 2021 had seen a boom in international trade, a record high in both volume and value. “However the scenario for 2022 looks uncertain due to the turbulence posed by the global supply chain crisis, the war in Ukraine, covid variants and the increasing energy prices.” The surface area of vineyards around the globe as of 2021 was estimated to be 7.3m hectares, marginally lower than in 2020, whereas the world’s wine production was put at about 260m hectolitres, a decrease of almost 3mhl (1%) year on year.

“The Covid-19 pandemic initially slowed the global supply chain as manufacturers were forced to suspend work until safety precautions were enforced,” reflected Roca. “New covid variants and the lack of access to the vaccine especially in certain developing countries exacerbated the recovery of global production even when developed economies like the US and EU reconciled to their consumption behaviours.”

“The war in Ukraine has set off a series of new supply-chain bottlenecks,” he said. “Moreover, the sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia are putting further pressure on the market. Also, potential trade disruption between EU and Russia might cause some concerns, especially in Italy, France and Spain.”

SOUTH AFRICA RANKED EIGHTH