The prolonged drought in Catalonia has brought challenges to Freixenet, the world’s leading sparkling wine producer. For almost three years, the region has experienced extreme water shortages, resulting in the death of vines and withered grapes in wine-growing areas like Penedès near Barcelona, where Freixenet is located. As a result, the production of its famous Cava sparkling wine is being threatened.
In response to the crisis, Freixenet has applied for temporary lay-offs for more than 600 employees, representing almost 80 percent of its workforce. The company’s goal is to preserve jobs and navigate through the difficult situation caused by the drought. The plan has been presented to authorities and unions, with implementation scheduled for May. Freixenet has not specified how long the lay-offs will last, noting that it will depend on the season and drought conditions.
The drought in Spain has impacted not only Freixenet but also the entire sparkling wine industry in the country. Grape harvests for Cava are expected to decline by more than 45 percent in 2023, resulting in a significant loss of production. Despite these challenges, Freixenet’s parent company, Henkell & Co., reported record revenues last year. The group has been able to navigate through the difficulties caused by the grape shortage and increased costs.
However, while this may seem like a negative outcome for some sectors of Spain’s economy and agriculture industry, there may be some positive outcomes as well. A shift in viticulture has been noted as more modest wine growing regions such as England are benefiting from Spain’s water shortage due to their ability to adapt quickly and efficiently compared to larger winemakers like Freixenet or other Spanish producers who rely heavily on water resources from rivers or irrigation systems.
As Freixenet and other wine producers adapt to these changing conditions they are exploring ways to overcome these challenges while continuing to deliver high-quality sparkling wines to consumers around the world.
Freixenet is not alone facing this issue as other major winemaking regions globally have also experienced similar problems due to climate change impacts such as prolonged droughts or severe weather events that affect vineyards health and productivity.
Overall this crisis highlights how important it is for governments around the world to take action against climate change before it becomes too late and causes irreversible damage not only on our planet but also on our economies that rely heavily on natural resources such as water.