Your Wine Is About to Get More Expensive: Global Production Expected to Hit Lowest Point in More Than 60 Years

Wine production this year could be the lowest in more than 60 years thanks to unfavorable weather.

Those are the findings of a report from the International Organization of Wine and Vine, which projects that total wine production across the globe will fall to roughly 244.1 million hectoliters, or 6.44 billion gallons, according to its mid-range estimate. The represents a drop of 7% from last year, and the lowest total since 1961.

The organization attributed decreases in Spain, Italy and the rest of the European Union to mildewy conditions and drought brought on by usually warm weather.

The EU produces 60% of the world’s wine, according to the organization.

Adverse weather also impacted production in southern hemisphere nations such as Australia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, and Brazil, the report concluded.

Poorly timed frosts and extreme rain played a factor, the group said in its report, which was posted on its website Tuesday.

"A perfect storm in the north and south hemispheres has created this catastrophic situation," Giorgio Delgrosso, the organization’s head of statistics, told the BBC.

The group predicted that wine production in the United States and New Zealand will rise, but both of those countries are outliers.

The organization added one caveat, saying that China’s production figures are not available yet and could push up the total global volume for the year.

The report is just the latest to find that a changing climate is hurting wine and champagne production.

For years, researchers have been raising alarms about the impact of higher temperatures on grapes used to make the spirituous beverages, which are particularly vulnerable to prolonged drought and heavy rain.

In July, researchers published a paper in the journal iScience that found regions of Italy that make sought-after varieties of wine and champagne are especially at risk.