Speaking to Lusa, the president of the CVRA, Francisco Mateus, indicated that the Alentejo producers are “very worried” about the drought situation that the region is going through, as “a very small amount of rain has fallen since November”.

“It's less than two thirds of what we had last year”, estimated the official, noting that the Alentejo vineyards only benefited from “one third of the water” they usually get in “normal situations”.

Francisco Mateus predicted that, if the situation without rain continues, the next wine season will “go wrong”, as the plants will have “less strength” and “worse cluster formation”, with “fewer clusters or clusters with fewer grapes”.

“This jeopardises the work of the winegrowers and, later on, it could jeopardise wine production”, he warned.

According to the president of the CVRA, like the absence of rain, the mild temperatures that are recorded for this time of year are also not beneficial for the vineyard, as the plants, which are now in “dormancy”, need colder temperatures.

“If water comes, the consequences can be minimised, but if it doesn't, we can have a really bad year for the vineyard and we know that normally a bad year for the vineyard has an impact on that year and the next”, he stressed.