{"id":11959,"date":"2025-08-20T08:25:56","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T08:25:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/juliansoler.com\/una-vision-darwiniana-del-reto-de-seguir-cultivando-las-uvas-y-diversificando-sus-usos\/"},"modified":"2025-08-21T07:33:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T07:33:02","slug":"a-darwinian-outlook-on-the-challenge-of-cultivating-grapes-and-diversifying-their-uses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juliansoler.com\/en\/a-darwinian-outlook-on-the-challenge-of-cultivating-grapes-and-diversifying-their-uses\/","title":{"rendered":"A Darwinian outlook on the challenge of cultivating grapes and diversifying their uses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\nFigures and commitment shape the present; consistency builds the future<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Opinion article – Grape harvest Campaign 2025-2026 – By Ramiro Mart\u00ednez \u2013 CEO of JULIAN SOLER S.A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ON THE VERGE of a new harvest, which is expected to be of high quality despite the climatic challenges, already underway in some areas of Spain with early varieties such as Chardonnay, Muscat and Sauvignon Blanc, a few days behind last year, and figures that would bring us closer to a somewhat more generous campaign than the previous ones, according to the latest estimates from the cooperative production sector Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de Castilla-La Mancha<\/a>, which forecasts a total national volume of 38 million hectolitres (Mhl) between wine and must in this upcoming 2025 harvest, with a regional contribution from Castilla-La Mancha of around 24 Mhl (6% higher than the 2024\/25 regional harvest, which makes it easy to imagine that the national total could be slightly above 40 Mhl if the figure for Castilla-La Mancha is confirmed based on the weather conditions of recent weeks). WE MUST NOT FORGET the efforts of those who have facilitated the previous difficult harvests: FARMERS, the leading representatives of our primary sector, who have continued to cultivate grapes and diversify their use among different industries (wines, musts, vinegars, alcohols), either by delivering them to private wineries (who know their end use) or through cooperative decisions via the growing and professionalised Spanish cooperative model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The MIXED MODEL for raw material input that we have been working on at JULIAN SOLER since
1968, with grapes from more than 300 farmers in La Manchuela, Cuenca, together with constant
cooperation with more than 70 cooperatives and private wineries for the production of sulphurised red and white musts to be concentrated in our evaporators, thus obtaining more than 40,000 tonnes\/year of concentrated must (equivalent to around 200 million kilos of grapes), gives us a very complete picture of the evolution and effort of those who are at the heart of our business, the winegrowers, the grape farmers, especially those with a predominance of red varieties in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAs anticipated, this new campaign appears to present MORE ENCOURAGING FIGURES in general
terms of quality and volume, not only in Spain but also in the other two major European producers, Italy and France. The 2025 harvest forecast for Italy is in line with the average for recent years, with an initial production estimate of 45 million hectolitres (2% higher than the previous 43.97 MHL – Coldiretti<\/a> \/ AGEA<\/a>), with varying performance across regions, but with significant growth in important areas for must, such as Puglia (+20%). In France, the harvest is showing a strong recovery, with a forecast volume of between 41-42 MHL (+17%), after recording the lowest harvest in more than six decades in 2024 (AGRESTE<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\nOn the European continent, the odd note would be in Portugal, with a harvest that would provisionally be around 6.2 Mhl (IVV<\/a>), which represents a decrease of 11% compared to 2024 and 12% below the average of the last five seasons, mainly due to the unstable spring weather that favoured the development of mildew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the southern hemisphere, without going into detail, with its two major producers, Argentina for
white musts and Chile for red musts, and with the campaigns now over, we could summarise the
situation as stable with positive volumes in the case of Argentina (INV<\/a>), and, conversely, lower production than initially forecast in the case of Chile (ANIAE<\/a>) due to the lower yield observed in red varieties once the harvest was widespread.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDelving deeper into the forecast for the Spanish harvest, and similarly taking into account the differentiation of colours in the style of Argentina (white) and Chile (red), it would not be fair to
expand on comments without differentiating by colour for the equally diverse national production, as there are very different realities between red and white grapes<\/strong> when we consider their destination as concentrated and direct grape juice, as in the world of wine, not all grape varieties contribute the same and, therefore, should not be valued equally.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHowever, we could interpret both realities, if I may, following the precepts of the renowned 19th-century English naturalist and scientist CHARLES DARWIN and his Theory of Evolution, which answers how species transform and adapt over time.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Darwinism<\/em> is based on the central idea of NATURAL SELECTION, in which species evolve over time as a result of genetic variation<\/em> and those traits that give individuals ADAPTIVE ADVANTAGES in a specific environment. Natural selection therefore takes into account competition in a natural environment with limited resources, where natural conditions themselves benefit certain individuals based on the characteristics they possess. Over successive generations, the frequency of genes associated with these traits increases, leading to the adaptation of the population to its environment to ensure its survival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The QUALITY DEMANDED by national and international customers of Spanish grape juice concentrate has naturally led to the selection of the red varieties BOBAL and TINTORERA from La Manchuela, and the white variety AIR\u00c9N from La Mancha, as the most suitable grapes for the production of high-quality red and white concentrated musts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the decision to not only continue growing these grapes but also to DIVERSIFY THEIR USES OR DESTINATIONS, between wine, must, vinegar and alcohol, is probably, according to Darwin, another of those beneficial traits that confer adaptive advantages in a specific environment and which, in the case of grape growers and\/or their respective cooperatives, can guarantee survival in any scenario. In the case at hand, increasingly frequent irregular production scenarios (shortages vs. surpluses) and\/or changing market situations (with changes in consumption patterns, wars, tariffs, etc.) have been repeatedly and, probably with greater intensity, affecting the production and marketing of wine products in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reality of the recently completed 2024 agricultural year in Spain has not been unfavourable in general terms of volume for the white Air\u00e9n variety, although there is room for improvement in terms of the final Brix-Baum\u00e9 degree harvested, with the consequent increase in processing costs for grape juice concentrate producers supplying the juice, food and beverage industries, together with the continuing trend of high prices for white wines and musts for winemaking as a result of consumer demand for these products. Italy improved its figures in 2024 compared to the very low harvest of 2023, and in 2025 it is expected to improve again and reach average harvest figures. Given this scenario, Italy\u2019s expected demand from the Spanish market in the upcoming 2025 season should continue to be lower than in the previous 2024 harvest, where there was already less pressure or need for supply, mainly in standard or conventional quality. Special qualities such as Free So2 or virgin must, organic\/bio, sustainable, baby food, etc., where Italy continues to have a deficit, deserve a different analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n