Based on the three emergency measures included in last month's royal decree: crisis distillation (distillation of wine to address excess stocks), private storage (storage subsidies for wines protected by origin) and green harvesting (reducing vineyard yields and improving harvest quality), strategies have been developed for Rioja (Rioja) that are also applicable to the region.
Image courtesy of: Penin Guide Spain
The region has now received 6.11 million euros in financial assistance. A total of 62 wineries have received €5.14 million (44.31% of the total Spanish private storage aid) to store approximately 60 million liters of wine in La Rioja. The rest of the funds will be distributed by 106 winegrowers for the green harvesting of 272,11 hectares of vineyards.
Given the current difficulties of the wine industry in balancing supply and demand, it is essential to protect the Rioja Premium Class Appellation (D.O.C. Rioja) from delays in commercialization. In recent months, the Ministry of Agriculture and even agricultural organizations and wineries have collaborated to submit applications for assistance in Rioja, with the aim of protecting the region"s premium wines and its traditional winemaking model.
