May 29, 2020 — Wine cellars in Croatia are hitting the bottom of the barrel as restaurant orders and guests fall because of the pandemic.
The Croatian Chamber of Commerce said winemakers across the country saw sales plunge up to 80 percent in comparison to last year. Many expect some recovery throughout the rest of the year, predicting a 60 percent drop for 2020. The cellars of žlahtina in Vrbnik, a dry white wine, and Pavlomir reported 90 percent drops in sales.
Croatia’s tourism and wine industries are heavily intertwined, with 70 percent of wine sales happening during the tourist season.
Vintners take heart in Croatia’s push to revive the tourism season, but still feel the government should have done more to intervene. The Chamber of Commerce called upon the Agriculture Ministry to expand its assistance programs to help the wine sector. It called for aiding the overstock of wine by aiding in its distillation, and opening up lines of credit at favorable terms.
Wine cellars in Istria and Kvarner depend on tourism more than others and have been hit harder as a result. The backlog could lead back to vineyards, who’ll have to either cut back on harvests or reduce output.
The industry’s liquidity as a whole is threatened, with many wineries on the brink because of falling prices and stalled sales.
The European Commission amended rules regulating emergency measures for viticulture and viticulture, making it easier to get emergency funding.
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