Travel
Little reason for cheer as drought forces Spain to ration Cava wine production
Sales of cava, the Spanish sparkling wine, are down globally thanks to bad weather affecting vineyards but industry leaders have a plan to reverse their flagging fortunes.
Christmas may be round the corner, but cava makers have little to toast after a severe drought over the past three years wrought havoc on harvests.
Supplies of the bubbly wine which is made almost exclusively in Spain’s Catalonia region have run short, forcing bodegas to ration sales to their biggest markets abroad.
About 70% of the cava produced is sold abroad while the rest remains in the Spanish market.
Global sales of cava have fallen between January and September this year by 12.8% compared to the same period last year, according to an industry body. International sales dropped nearly 16%.
Traditionally, Germany was the largest market for lovers of Spanish bubbles but the self-imposed rationing of supplies by cava producers led to a drop of 55% in sales this year.
Part of the reason for this nose-dive in sales to Germany was Freixenet, the biggest cava producer in the world, which greatly reduced its supplies because it simply did not have the stock to sell.
In Britain, where cava has been a popular drink for many years, sales dropped 15.44% this year, compared with in 2023. Italian Prosecco has become the fizzy drink of choice for many.
This meant that Belgium became the leader in international sales, followed by the United States, where Spanish bodegas sold 12 million bottles this year. Russia, where the bubbly is popular, fell in the rankings of foreign markets, with a decrease of 20% in sales.
Amid this uncertainty in the cava world, the only countries where demand increased were Sweden, Japan and the Netherlands.
“It is clear that there is a scarcity of product available on the market at a moment when a quality fizzy wine like cava is well considered throughout the world,” Javier Pagés, the president of the Denomination of Origin of Cava Producers, which represents most bodegas, told journalists at a meeting earlier this month.
However, for producers of cava – but perhaps not for drinkers – the scarcity of the drink has delivered some pluses.
Prices rose on average by 20% internationally and 10% in Spain, according to the cava producer’s organisation.
“Fortunately, the scarcity of the product does have positive sides. As demand is higher than the available product, prices and margins trended upward, allowing value to be added throughout the chain (of production),” Pagés added.
“At the same time, the prices paid for grapes in the final harvest were once again significantly higher but on the other, the vast majority of winegrowers once again had very low yields due to the drought.”
Prayers for rain to avoid another drought
Cava growers are cautiously optimistic that 2025 may be wetter than the three previous years, when the drought was so severe than many villages in Catalonia resorted to praying for a few drops to fall.
The major companies called for Spanish authorities to help provide irrigation schemes and other projects to help counter future droughts.
Catalonia’s regional government recently announced plans to spend €2.3 billion by 2040 to try to solve its chronic water shortage problems.
Among the plans, is a new seawater desalinisation plant on the Costa Brava, at a cost of €200 million but it will also require financial help from the Spanish government.
Cava makers may have been hampered by a long-running drought, but they have also had to face increasing competition from their fiercest rivals, Champagne and Prosecco.
Sparkling wines have boomed in popularity in recent years, according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), an industry group, while wine’s popularity is generally on the decline as drinkers have turned to beer and spirits.
Red wine sales have declined while white wine, driven by the popularity of Prosecco, have increased.
“White wine demand and supply at the global level have expanded since 2000. At the beginning of the century, white wine accounted on average for 46% of the world total, while in more recent years this share rose to 49%,” an OIV report for 2023 said.
“One of the main driving forces behind this increase is the boom of sparkling wine. The main countries which contributed to the growth at the world level are Italy (driven by the global success of Prosecco), the USA, South Africa and Australia.”
In the cut-throat world of wine, some cava producers are dismissive of their Italian rival, Prosecco.
“Prosecco is just water and bubbles. Cava is a drink which takes years to produce, like champagne. It takes years to produce it. Prosecco is produced in months,” one cava maker who did not want to be named, told Euronews Culture.
The cava industry provides work for 6,200 people and it is produced by 349 bodegas, which sell cava in 100 countries.
Cava is not just a preserve of Catalonia; there are bodegas in other parts of Spain. But the drink is closely associated with the north-eastern region.
When Catalan separatists staged a failed independence bid in 2017, producers suffered from a hugely damaging boycott from other parts of the country.
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The report’s authors say the aviation industry has demonstrated significant resilience in the face of global industry challenges in 2024
Iberia and SAS are the only European winners ranked for on-time performance among the top ten airlines globally, according to a new report.
Airlines were ranked globally and by region, with a separate category for low-cost carriers. Performance was evaluated on airlines’ on-time arrival and percentage of flights completed.
The survey from aviation analytics consultancy Cirium evaluated more than three million flights every month in 2024, with data from more than 600 sources of real-time flight information worldwide.
For the global category, Cirium analysed the top ten per cent of all passenger airlines by capacity and volume criteria. These airlines under review also had to serve at least three regions. In the low-cost carrier category, the top 50 per cent of airlines were considered, and the top 30 per cent in the regional category (15 per cent for North America).
This report comes amid ongoing issues in the aviation industry, including cybersecurity disruptions such as the Crowdstrike outage and extreme weather events impacting aviation in 2024, according to Cirium.
Which airline achieved the best on-time performance in 2024?
Aeromexico, Mexico’s largest airline, was named the most on-time global airline in 2024, with an on-time performance rate of 86.7 per cent.
It is followed by the national airline of Saudi Arabia, Saudia, with a score of 86.35 per cent, and the major US airline Delta Air Lines, which scored 83.46 per cent across 1,712,529 flights.
The Spanish budget airlineIberia Express won in both the Europe and Low-Cost Airline categories for the second year running, with 84.69 per cent of its 44,140 flights arriving on time.
Iberia Express is a ‘leader in Europe for reliability’
The short and medium-haul Spanish airline has recently expanded its destinations list, with growth in seasonal routes to Marrakech (+460 per cent), Menorca (+52 per cent), Edinburgh (+250 per cent), and Cairo (+885 per cent).
“Spain’s Iberia Express has firmly established itself as a leader in Europe’s competitive low-cost market”, said Isaac Pato, a senior data analyst at Cirium, who explained that the airline “continues to prove that affordability can coexist with punctuality.”
“This Iberia subsidiary not only delivers consistent reliability for intra-European routes but also reinforces Spain’s reputation for cutting-edge aviation services,” Pato added.
“Whether traveling for business or leisure, passengers can count on Iberia Express.”
As well as Iberia Express, a further two European airlines ranked in the top ten for low-cost carriers, with Vueling in the fifth spot at 81.20 per cent, while Norwegian ranked in seventh place.
Which are the best airlines in Europe?
Spain and Scandinavia dominated the European airlines category.
Following Iberia Express, parent company Iberia took second place with 81.58 per cent on-time arrival for its 183,268 flights. Based in Madrid, Iberia is part of the International Airlines Group alongside Iberia Express.
Scandinavia’s SAS came third, with an on-time performance rate of 81.40 per cent. The national airline of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, SAS serves 135 international destinations and is headquartered in Solna, Sweden.
Spain’s Vueling took fourth place with 81.20 per cent, while Norwegian Airlines also reached the top five with an on-time score of 79.23 per cent.
Air Europa (78.99 per cent), Austrian Airlines (78.72 per cent), Brussels Airlines (77.77 per cent), LOT Polish Airlines (77.72 per cent) and Norwegian Air Sweden (76.04 per cent) made up the last five places in the top ten for Europe.
Which were the most on-time airports?
Airports were also in the running for Cirium’s Platinum Operational Excellence awards, which recognised individual achievement in quick turnaround times, efficient baggage handling, modern infrastructure, and cost-effectiveness.
Saudia Arabia’s Riyadh King Khalid International Airport was found to be the most on-time airport globally, with 86.65 per cent of flights departing on time. The Middle Eastern travel hub also won in the ‘Large Airport’ category.
No European airports were placed in the top-performing airports.
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Passengers in Île-de-France are warned to be vigilant and avoid travel as Storm Floriane brings violent winds.
Several French departments have been placed on orange alert for strong winds and a number of train lines in north-central France are affected.
The worst-hit regions are in northern France: Charleville-Mézières, Châlons-en-Champagne, and Bar-le-Duc – are experiencing frequent gusts between 80 and 100 km/h, and sometimes even 110 km/h.
Storm Floriane is moving quickly but intensely over the northeast of the country and may reach Belgium by the late afternoon.
There is also a risk of floods and avalanches in northern France by the early evening, and a small part of Bordeaux is being affected too, according to the Météo-France website.
Rail travel has been badly impacted by the storm
To guarantee the safety of both passengers and staff, SNCF has been making cancellations and changes to services, as well as putting speed limits in place.
Some replacement buses have also been put in place. Rail traffic has been disrupted between Nantes and Savenay due to a power outage that has forced drivers to slow down in the area. This is now unlikely to be back on track until 8pm this evening.
A tree fell on the tracks near Pont-Sainte-Maxence, and has disrupted trains in both directions between Creil and Compiègne.
If you plan to travel by train in France today, passengers are being advised by SCNF to check your train is running to schedule and to remain vigilant to changing weather conditions.
In the event that you train is cancelled, you can contact the train provider directly to exchange your ticket without any fees – or postpone your trip.
Further south, the A51 motorway that connects Grenoble to Marseille has been closed in both directions close to the Sinard tunnel due to flying objects in the road.
You are advised only to leave your home if absolutely necessary in areas placed on orange alert, and drivers should be extra cautious, particularly of flooding.
Journalists are monitoring this story as it unfolds and we will continue to update you.
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People help to push cars stuck in snow in Leeds, England, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. – Copyright Danny Lawson/PA–
Copyright Danny Lawson/PA
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Heavy snowfall in the UK has caused the airports of Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds to close their runways. The bad weather is set to continue through Sunday with the country’s weather service issuing a number of warnings.
Heavy snowfall overnight has caused several airports in the UK, including Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds, to close their runways.
All incoming flights at Manchester Airport have been diverted elsewhere as they would have been unable to land, the BBC has reported. Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport is trying to clear its own runway, while Leeds Bradford Airport is also facing cancellations and delays.
The UK’s Met Office has issued eight weather warnings – six yellow and two amber – for areas across the UK, with the two amber warnings (which warn of potential risk to life and are considered more serious) for the Midlands, Wales and areas of northern England. There have been warnings of ice and snow, the latter of which is expected to continue falling through Sunday, with as much as 40cm of snow forecast to accumulate in the areas worst affected.
The weather service has told the public to brace itself for train delays and cancellations, power cuts and road issues in the affected areas. It has called on people to be aware of icy conditions, with freezing rain, ice and heavy rain causing a number of potential weather hazards in the country.
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