Unstable climate conditions have cut Portuguese wine production by 14 percent compared to the previous season, leading growers to explore resilience tactics even as industry groups expect the lower yield to drive up prices, reports digital news outlet the Portugal Post.
Climate-change volatility tested Portuguese wine growers over the 2025 to 2026 season, swinging from a dry winter to record spring rainfall – ideal conditions for mildew and other fungal threats – only for devastating heatwaves to rob the stressed vines of precious moisture. According to data from the Instituto da Vinha do Vinho (IVV), these unstable climate conditions slashed Portuguese wine production by 14 percent, to 5.9 million hectolitres.
Several regions recorded double-digit drops from last season, including the Douro Valley (-34%), the Algarve (-20%), the Alentejo (-20%) and Trás-os-Montes (-18%). While yields in the Azores soared 221 percent, the small base meant the autonomous region’s bounty did little to offset the losses of its far larger counterparts.
Quality, however, remained remarkably high with 91 percent of barrels still hitting the thresholds for Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) or Protected Geographical Indication (IGP) seals, according to laboratory checks by IVV.
[See more: Climate change poses ‘existential threat’ to one of France’s most distinctive wine regions]
Climate change hit the Douro Valley especially hard, its steep schist slopes exacerbating run off when heavy rains came, stripping the soil of vital nutrients. The rolling plains of Alentejo, typically hot and dry, swung from excess moisture to extreme heat in just two months. Coastal Algarve in the south and inland Trás-os-Montes, the northernmost region, suffered similar swings. Of the mainland regions, only the Beira Interior increased its yield, up 2 percent compared to the 2024 to 2025 growing season.
Growers are trying to adapt. Many estates are moving to deficit irrigation – giving vines less than their full requirement – to reduce water use and improve soil moisture stability, trialling heat-tolerant grape clones and adopting regenerative cover crops to renew soil health. Cooperatives in Douro, home to Port and many of Portugal’s most popular reds, have secured grants to increase solar-powered cold storage and improve disease-monitoring sensors.
While a new 15-million-euro (US$17.66 million) government package to pay for grapes brought to distillation is expected to ease stock pressure and support small growers, industry experts are cautiously optimistic about the smaller yield. Scarcity, according to Portugal’s national wine cooperative federation, may work to correct years of oversupply and reset grower margins. Growing embrace of sustainability certification and renewed consumer interest in quality may also help boost sales.
