Spain: White seedless grapes to finish two weeks earlier

The table grape campaign is developing up to two weeks earlier than normal in Spain's main producing areas. "While we normally have white seedless grapes until November, this year the season will probably finish in the first week of October," explains Miriam Cutillas, of the sales and marketing department of Uvasdoce. The campaign started about twelve days earlier in Murcia and Alicante," she adds.

According to Miriam Cutillas, Greece may benefit from this, as there will likely be an interesting market window in the gap left by Spain. "For now, we are not noticing the impact of Greece's competition, since our volumes of white seedless grapes are hitting the market at a very smooth pace."

With the table grape campaign in full swing, the Alicante-based company is harvesting and selling grapes of the varieties Red Globe, Ideal (under the PDO Uva Embolsada del Vinalopó), the white seedless Regal and the red seedless Crimson or Carlita, with the latter being a new variety in Spain which is currently only grown by Uvasdoce.

Although the pace of sales is good, the average price is still very high, according to Miriam Cutillas.

"Italian and Greek grapes are cheaper and are pushing prices down in the market," she states. "The campaign has been good in terms of sales, although prices have been average compared to last year. In August, the market was too quiet because of the holiday period, although now, in September, we have already noticed a very positive change in trends; not in terms of prices, but in consumption."

This year's spring and summer have been extremely dry in the growing areas of the Mediterranean coast; a factor which has only become accentuated with the arrival of heatwaves, as is happening right now.

"We have very little water and of poor quality; this is something that, in combination with the extreme heat in spring and also now in September, after a summer with moderate temperatures, has taken a toll on the calibre of the grapes, which has so far been very irregular," affirms Miriam Cutillas.

"Unfortunately, we do not expect this to get better, because if the forecasts are correct, no rainfall at all is expected until November," she adds. "However, if it rained right now it wouldn't be good either for the harvest of the Ideal, as its production has already been greatly reduced due to mildew problems."

For more information:
Miriam Cutillas (Marketing Manager)
UVASDOCE
Ctra. Monforte-Agost km. 6,9
Partida de las Norias n.º 188
T: +34 965 620 125
M: +34 659670964
info@uvasdoce.com
www.uvasdoce.com