The Greek table grape season in the Kavala region has been affected by downy mildew following a wet spring, although dry and warm conditions later in the season have supported good fruit development, says Dimitrios Spanos, founder and director of Greek grape exporter Grape Evolution: “There is a significant loss of 25-30% of table grapes among the grape vineyards in the Kavala region, due to the downy mildew issues, following the rainy weather during May and June. The period of July to September was dry, with high temperatures, and that resulted in a good finish on the grapes. However, the remaining crops are doing very well, and the growers started the first harvest of the late varieties, like Sweet Celebration, Sweet Globe and ARRA 32.”

“I believe an overall loss of 30% will have some impact, especially at the last period of the very late crops,” Spanos continues. “There is a huge demand for early white grapes in Kavala, harvested in July, and even bigger demand for very late varieties which mature in October.”

© Grape Evolution (CYPRUS) Limited

Grape Evolution has focused its recent investment on providing growers with technical guidance and support, Spanos explains: “Our major investment in the region of Kavala over the last two years has been to deliver consistent technical guidance and advice to our growers regarding all aspects of our technical protocols. Being able to see the final result, we’re happy for our growers and the new opportunities that are opening up.”

The exporter is also seeing strong interest in new plantings of its early white variety, Desert Pearl, while another variety is set to enter the season in October. Spanos states: “From our point of view, our early white variety, Desert Pearl, has been exported to UK retailers this year with great success from Chrissanidis Bros Ltd. We’re excited, as the demand for new plantations is sky-high at the moment. On the other hand, we’re anticipating our very late white variety to get started at the beginning of October: the Late Pearl. We’ve seen some excellent quality achieved by the growers of Kavala in a completely natural way, with berry sizes of 24-25 mm, without the use of any hormones, and we’re very proud of that.”

© Grape Evolution (CYPRUS) Limited

The timing of production in several European grape-growing regions could create pressure on the market during part of the season, Spanos says: “The biggest challenge will be the overlapping of table grapes between the late regions of Italy, Spain and Greece. There is a lot of anticipation from the growers in these three countries, and I am afraid that for some weeks the offer will be much higher than the demand. I think there will be good availability and continuity over the next six weeks,” he concludes.

For more information:
Dimitrios Spanos
Grape Evolution
Tel: +30 694 615 6969
[email protected]
www.grapeevolution.com