The 2010 grape harvest in the Czech Republic was the worst since 1986, according to the country's winemakers' association.
Growers in 2010 produced 45,923 metric tons of grapes from approximately 16,000 hectares of vineyards, down by a third from the year before and less than half of the 2008 and 2007 harvests.
Jirí Sedlo, chairman of the country’s Winemakers Association (SV), blamed a fungous disease attacking the vines and poor weather – dry spells alternating with showers and several hailstorms.
Sedlo went on to say that that although the price of grapes went up in 2010, Czech winemakers will have lost out because the increase was not enough to compensate for the drop in yields.
Production of wine in the Czech Republic was around 380,000 litres in 2010, again down from previous years. Import of wine is therefore expected to rise from 60% to 80%.
Written by Lubomír Sedlák
