Castilla-La Mancha wine production down 30%

The wine region in central Spain has reported a significant drop in production due to “intense heat” in August, sinking initial forecasts for a bigger harvest than 2024. But government minister insists the region will be “vigilant” on quality.

aerial view of traditional medieval spanish windmills in Consuegra at sunset. Castilla La Mancha, Spain

Wine production in Castilla-La Mancha could be down by as much as 30% compared to 2024, which was itself 25% to 30% below average, according to the country’s Minister of Agriculture.

According to Francisco Martínez Arroyo, Castilla-La Mancha is expecting “30% below last year’s production” but he insists that Spain’s government “will not cease in the effort” to guarantee the quality of wines made in the region. Arroyo added that if the region’s campaign, which focuses on “a grape of higher quality” does “not distort, then we will be able to sell the wine well”.

The quality path has already been set out in Castilla-La Mancha through the region’s Wine Traceability Control Plan from which “we will not deviate”, said Arroyo, because “it is the right one”.

Profit throughout the chain

Most importantly, Arroyo declared, winemaking must be profitable “for all links in the chain that follow that path of commitment to quality, in which the Government of Castilla-La Mancha will be “vigilant”.

His insistence on profitability chimes with a plea made by The European Wine Industry Association (AIVE) last month, which called on Spain’s producers and cooperatives not to sell wine below production costs during the 2025 grape harvest. The association urged the sector to avoid “selling at a loss,” warning that it could harm both growers and the wider wine industry.

Lorenzo Delgado, president of AIVE, said that the continued use of Spain’s former currency, the peseta, when quoting agricultural prices could be further harming the industry. He argued that time should be called on this practice as the peseta has not been used, apart from in some rural areas, for many years. Spain adopted the Euro currency on 1 January 2002.

Delgado also noted that many Spanish grape growers are choosing not to harvest or are abandoning low-yield, dry-farmed vineyards due to poor profitability and a lack of financial support for uprooting old vines. In Castilla-La Mancha, which is Spain’s largest wine-producing area, many vineyards have been suffering from drought and pests, resulting in smaller yields, he said. However, the region has reported good vine health for 2025.