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Europe’s prolongued drought is putting immense pressure on Hungary’s Villány wine region, where scorching temperatures are taking a heavy toll on grape production.
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Due to the lack of rainfall, berries are smaller, while vines struggle to survive in the relentless heat. Beyond a lack of rainfall, there is also not enough moisture in the air.
Gergely Nagy, secretary of the Villány Wine Region Hill Community Council, told Euronews that they are slowly getting used to these severe drought conditions, which is not only affecting the wine region, but the entire country.
Expertise remains vital in the vineyards, but even those who are most skilled are ultimately powerless against the forces of nature. While the quality of the grape will be largely unaffected, the quantity ready for harvest is expected to be around 30% less than in previous years.
Winemaker Tamás Riczu explained to Euronews that late summer is normally the stage at which the berries are in full growth, yet instead the drought has caused grape bunches to shrivel. This could pose a particular problem for the late-ripening varieties, he added.
In previous years the harvest of red grape varieties in Villány started at the beginning of September, but this year it is likely to begin earlier than usual. The exact timing will depend on the progress of the forced ripening caused by the drought.
Severe drought takes toll across Hungary
Nearly 89% of Hungary’s territory is being affected my moderate or severe draught. Prolonged heatwaves and scarce rainfall have pushed groundwater levels to critical lows, particularly in The Great Hungarian Plain and the Sand Ridge region.
In several areas, conditions are among the most severe on record, surpassing even the impact of the 2022 drought. The situation is particularly critical in the south of the country.
The drying up of rivers and lakes is creating serious problems across the country. The sharp drop in the Danube’s water level forced most of the Paks nuclear power plant to be shut down temporarily, with only a single turbine running for two days.
As for the long-term outlook, several studies show that the devastating drought, that has hit every summer for six years now, has pushed Hungarian agriculture into crisis. Signs of desertification are becoming increasingly visible across larger areas of the country.
Lack of rainfall across Europe
The scarce rainfall and persistent heat are not just exclusive to Hungary. In southern Europe, huge wildfires continue to rage, with firefighters struggling to bring the flames under control in many places.
Record low river levels are disrupting shipping and limiting the cooling of power plants and factories, while agriculture in southern and western Europe is suffering serious damage. In some coastal regions, drought is allowing salt water to flood farmland.
Climate researchers agree that the increasingly severe summer heat and recurring droughts across Europe are symptoms of global warming, driven by human-caused climate-change.
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, according to their European State of the Climate 2025 report, with temperatures rising at around twice the global average.
Meanwhile, the energy crisis triggered by the conflict in Iran is forcing short-term solutions that risk undermining climate goals, with the European Union’s climate policy seemingly sidelined as defence spending has risen sharply.