In the turbulent year 2020, there was no turbulence, at least with the grape harvest. The harvest volume increased by three percent to 2.40 million hectoliters (hl) and was thus slightly above the average of the past five years (+2 percent), Statistics Austria announced on Tuesday. Corona-related sales shortfalls in the catering trade and at events ensured well-stocked wine cellars.
The wine stock amounted to 2.93 million hl and remained at a very high level for the second year in a row, despite an average harvest in the previous year. In the five-year mean, this corresponded to an increase of 14 percent. The Austria-wide stock of white wine remained at the previous year's level at 1.72 million hectoliters in 2020, the stock of red wine decreased by 4 percent to 1.21 million hl.
In the previous year, white wine production remained largely at the level of 2019 at 1.65 million hl; for red wine, the harvest rose by 7 percent compared to 2019 to 751,600 hl and was thus around the five-year average.
The grape harvest in Burgenland last year was particularly good. Thanks to favorable weather conditions, the harvest volume rose by 9 percent to 618,100 hl, according to Statistics Austria. Lower Austria achieved an average wine harvest of 1.51 million hectoliters, and in Styria the harvest was similar to 2019 with a volume of 238,600 hl. In Vienna, 25,300 hl of wine were harvested, which was roughly the five-year average and an increase compared to 2019 of 3 percent meant.
