Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the experience acquired during the basic surveys of areas under vines (in accordance with Article 7 (2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 357/79 of 5 February 1979 on statistical surveys of areas under vines)
Date: 2003-12-05
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: area of holding, disclosure of information, statistical method, statistics, vineyard

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 5.12.2003
COM(2003) 752 final

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND
THE COUNCIL

on the experience acquired during the basic surveys of areas under vines
(in accordance with Article 7 (2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 357/79 of 5 February
1979 on statistical surveys of areas under vines)

   
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.

2.

3.

3.1.

3.2.

3.3.

3.4.

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3

Methodology ................................................................................................................ 3

Results .......................................................................................................................... 5

Transmission of results ................................................................................................ 5

Publication of results.................................................................................................... 6

General comments on the results ................................................................................. 6

Consistency of survey system ...................................................................................... 8

2

1.

INTRODUCTION

Article 1 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 357/79 of 5 February 1979 on statistical
surveys of areas under vines (hereinafter referred to as the "basic Regulation")1 states
that a basic survey of wine-growing holdings and areas under vines must be carried
out  every  ten  years.  However,  an  intermediate  survey  to  determine  changes  taking
place in the areas under vines of wine grape varieties that were surveyed during the
previous wine-growing year is scheduled on an annual basis2.

–  The  basic  surveys  (Articles  1-4  of  the  basic  Regulation)  of  all  wine-growing
holdings  and  vineyards  collect  detailed  information  on  areas  under  vines
according to their specialised production of wine grapes, table grapes, grapes for
drying or vegetative propagation material for vines, as well as on varieties and age
of vines.

–  The intermediate surveys (Articles 5-6 of the basic Regulation) relate to changes
which  have  taken  place  in  areas  under  vines  of  wine  grape  varieties  during  the
preceding  wine-growing  year  after  they  have  been  grubbed,  newly  planted  or
replanted.  The  production  of  these  areas  is  also  surveyed  in  order  to  compile
accurate and up-to-date data on wine production potential and supply in the wine
sector.

The  purpose  of  this  report,  which  is  submitted  in  accordance  with  Article  7  (2)  of
Regulation No 357/79, is to present the results of the third basic survey of vineyards
throughout the Community. That survey reviewed the situation on 1 September 1999
of the areas under vines (after grubbings, plantings and replantings during the 1998-
1999 wine-growing year). It was conducted in nine Member States (Austria, France,
Germany,  Greece,  Italy,  Luxembourg,  Portugal,  Spain  and  the  United  Kingdom).
Italy  conducted  the  survey  between  October  2000  and  April  2001,  and  France
between October 2000 and February 2001. For these two Member States, the survey
refers to areas under vines on 1 September 20003

2.

METHODOLOGY

In  accordance  with  Article  3  of  Regulation  No  357/79,  the  Member  States  provide
the Commission with a detailed description of the methods used for the basic survey
so  that  the  statistical  reliability  and  the  comparability  of  the  compiled  data  can  be
ensured.

Every  Member  State  complied  with  the  scope  of  the  survey,  with  the  following
comments:

1.
2

3

OJ L 54 of 5.3.79, p.124
The implementing measures were adopted as follows: Commission Decision 79/49/1/EEC (OJ L129 of
28.5.1979,  p.9);  Commission  Regulation  (EEC)  N°991/79  (OJ  L129  of  28.5.1979,  p.1);  Commission
Decision  80/763/EEC  (OJ  L213  of  16.8.1980,  p.26);  Commission  Decision  80/764/EEC  (OJ  L213  of
16.8.1980, p.28); Commission Decision 80/765/EEC (OJ L213 of 16.8.1980, p.34).
France  and  Italy  were  granted  derogation  by  Council  Regulation  (EC)  N°2329/98  (OJ  L291  of
30.10.1998, p.2).

3

                                                
–  Germany  surveyed  agricultural  holdings  with  vines  of  more  than  10  ares.
Holdings of less than 10 ares were also surveyed if  production  during  the  1998-
1999  wine-growing  year  was  destined  to  be  sold.  The  German  survey  was
exhaustive and statistical information contained in the vineyard register was used.
The  areas  surveyed  were  those  cultivated  for  the  production  of  quality  wine  psr
and vegetative propagation material for vines (including young plantations not yet
producing). The  yield  classes  were  calculated  on  the  basis  of  the  average  of  the
last ten years.

–  Spain  conducted  a  survey  in  accordance  with  the  Regulation  during  the  wine-
growing year. The vineyard register was used, and the survey covered all holdings
cultivating vines. The yield classes were calculated on the basis of wine-growers'
declarations.  It  should  be  noted,  however,  that  the  methodology  used  in  1999
differed  considerably  from  that  used  in  1989.  The  differences  make  it  tricky  to
compare the two surveys.

–  France  surveyed  agricultural  holdings  (as  defined  for  the  general  census  of
agriculture) with 5 ares producing champagne, 10 ares producing quality wine psr
or 20 ares of any kind of vines, between 1 October 2000 and 28 February 2001.
The  survey  was  exhaustive,  and  adjusted  data  taken  from  the  vineyard  register
were used. The yield classes were calculated on the basis of the average of the last
five years and used data taken from annual agricultural statistics.

–  Greece surveyed all holdings with vines if normal production was destined to be
sold. The survey was based on a one-stage sample, using random sampling, for all
areas  under  vine  stocks  during  the  1998-1999  wine-growing  year.  The  yield
classes were calculated on the basis of wine-growers' declarations.

–  Italy  surveyed  holdings  of  any  size  with  areas  under  vines  for  wine  or  table
grapes,  even  if  not  yet  producing,  or  areas  producing  vegetative  propagation
material for vines, provided that production was normally to be sold. The survey
was  exhaustive  and  covered  the  period  from  October  2000  to  April  2001.  The
yield classes were calculated on the basis of the average of the last ten years.

–  Luxembourg  conducted  the  survey  during  the  1999-2000  wine-growing  year,
using the vineyard register which is constantly updated and ensures considerable
reliability.  The  survey  covered  holdings  growing  varieties  of  grapes  for  quality
wine psr. The yield classes were calculated on the basis of the ten-year average.

–  Portugal  surveyed  all  holdings  defined  in  the  Regulation.  The  survey  was

exhaustive and covered the period from November 1998 to October 1999.

–  Austria conducted the survey during the 1998-1999 wine-growing year. It covered
holdings  growing  varieties  of  grapes  for  quality  wines  psr  and  areas  for  the
production of vegetative propagation material for vines. The vineyard register was
used for the collection of the data.

–  The United Kingdom conducted the survey in December 1999 with the help of the
vineyard  register.  The  survey  covered  holdings  producing  wine  grapes  for  the
production of other  wines.  The  vineyard  census  is  not  compulsory  and  excludes
holdings with areas under vines of less than 10 ares.

4

3.

RESULTS

3.1.

Transmission of results

Article  4  of  Regulation  No  357/79  states  that  the  Member  States  must  notify  the
Commission  of  the  results  of  the  basic  survey  no  later  than  15  months  after
completion of the field work.

The final data were transmitted by the following bodies in charge of carrying out the
basic surveys in the Member States:

Country

Body

Statistik Austria

Austria

France

Ministry of Agriculture, Paris

31/08/2001

Date

25/04/2001

Germany

Statistisches Bundesamt, Bonn

22/11/2001

Greece

Italy

National Statistical Office, Athens

13/03/2002

ISTAT, Rome

25/06/2002

Luxembourg

Institut Viti-vinicole, Remich

07/09/2001

Portugal

National Statistical Office, Lisbon

04/02/2002

Spain

Ministry of Agriculture, Madrid

03/09/2001

United Kingdom Ministry of Agriculture, York

21/02/2002

In view of the difficulties in the Member States with regard to the processing of the
data, it can be said that the deadlines for transmission were generally met.

The data are presented in tables previously drawn up by the Commission (Eurostat)
and sent in computer-readable format.

As  indicated  in  Article  7  of  the  basic  Regulation,  these  tables  are  studied  in
consultation with the Member States concerned.

The  Commission  validates  the  data  tables  after  receiving  them.  The  validation
procedure involves a series of intra- and inter-table checks. At the completion of this
procedure,  a  number  of  adjustments  were  made  to  the  original  data  in  order  to
eliminate inconsistencies and make them comparable and reliable.

The  data  were  transmitted  in  accordance  with  the  stated  rules  and  for  all  the
geographical units as indicated in the implementing decisions of the Commission4.

Overall, the results that have been submitted provide useful information on the wine-
growing structure of the Member States in question.

4.

See References to Commission acts in Note 2 below.

5

                                                
3.2.

Publication of results

The results of the basic survey will be published in analytical form in 2003 and will
offer an overview of the changes in Community vineyards between 1989 and 1999.
The full results are available in the Eurostat New Cronos data base under Theme 5 -
VITIS.

3.3.

General comments on the results5

Between  1989  and  1999  areas  under  vines  in  the  EU  contracted  by  15.7%.  This
reduction  was  limited  thanks  to  the  arrival  of  Austria,  which  joined  the  European
Union  in  1995,  and  the  United  Kingdom,  which  conducted  the  survey  for  the  first
time  in  1999.  If  the  survey  had  covered  the  same  scope  as  in  1989,  the  reduction
would have been 32%.

At 3.2 million hectares, the total area under vines in the European Union declined by
15.7% between 1989 and 1999. This figure is spread among 1.8 million holdings, i.e.
a reduction of 30.5%. The average area under vines rose from 1.8 to 2.2 hectares per
holding, an increase of 9%.

General trend throughout the European Union

In Greece, France, Italy, Luxembourg and Portugal the number of holdings declined
by more than 30%. A similar trend affected areas under vines in these countries. In
Germany, the reduction in the number of holdings was limited to 11%, while areas
under vines increased slightly (+1.9%).

There  were  significant  regional  differences  within  the  Member  States  which  took
part in the survey, in particular:

–  Germany was the Member State where the trends were most evenly distributed.

–  In  Greece,  changes  in  each  region  had  a  significant  effect  on  the  geographical
distribution  of  vineyards.  There  was  a  reduction  in  areas  under  vines  of  55%  in
the  Nisia  region,  which  had  been  ranked  first  in  1989.  As  a  result,  in  spite  of
losing  7.5%  of  its  areas  under  vines,  the  region  of  Kentriki  Ellada  became  the
leading wine-producing region in the country.

–  In  France,  the  regions  of  the  southeast  (Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur  and
Languedoc-Roussillon) recorded a clear  reduction, whereas in the southwest and
northeast the increase were sometimes quite considerable (+22.5% in Bourgogne).

–  In Italy, where vineyards are spread throughout the country, the areas under vines
declined  in  every  region,  apart  from  Trentino-Alto  Adige  and  Friuli-Venezia
Giulia.

–  In Portugal, there was a similar trend. Every region recorded smaller areas under

vines, apart from Alentejo where the figure increased by 30%

5

These comments take  account  of  the  data  as  transmitted  by  the  Member  States  and  may  be  amended
when the current work to improve data comparability is completed.

6

                                                
Big increase in areas producing quality wine

The vines which are grown in the European Union are mainly for the production of
wine grapes6. Of the 3.2 million hectares under vines, more than 3 million (95%) are
for the production of wine grapes.

Table  grapes  are  grown  in  five  Member  States  (Greece,  Spain,  France,  Italy  and
Portugal).  Despite  a  reduction  of  41%  in  the  areas  under  cultivation,  Italy  alone
accounts for 40% of this type of production. There were similar reductions in France,
Portugal, Greece and Spain.

Areas under vines for grapes for drying occur virtually only in Greece, but the total
area fell by 20% compared with 1989.

The majority of Europe's vineyards are involved in the production of grapes for wine.
But wine production has been affected by significant changes.

Quality wines have replaced other wines. The trend is general throughout the Union.
Although the number of holdings producing quality wine has fallen by 1.9%, the area
under  vines  for  the  production  of  quality  wine  has  risen  by  8.1%.  The  biggest
increases  occurred  in  Italy  and  Portugal,  where  the  figures  rose  by  21%  and  18%
respectively. The increases in the other Member States were below 10%.

Areas  producing  quality  wines  now  outnumber  other  areas  in  the  Union:  56%  in
1999  compared  with  45%  in  1989.  There  are  still  some  disparities  among  the
Member  States,  however.  Vineyards  in  Germany  and  Luxembourg  produce  only
quality wine, whereas in Italy - in spite of an increase of 22% - quality wines account
for only 36% of the country's production.

Grape varieties suited to soil

During the survey only areas producing wine grapes are broken down by variety and
grouped according to the colour of the grapes (white or red). The choice of a variety
depends  on  soil  and  weather  conditions  in  the  area  of  cultivation,  but  also  on
economic  decisions  by  wine-growers.  Consequently,  the  number  of  different
varieties recorded in a Member State depends to a large extent on the distribution of
vines in the country.

–  In Germany, where vineyards are mainly in four Länder, white varieties (mainly
Weisser Riesling and Müller-Thurgauer) are grown on more than 75% of the area
under  vines.  The  situation  is  similar  in  Luxembourg  and  Austria,  where  white
varieties dominate.

–  In  Greece,  red  and  white  varieties  are  almost  equally  divided.  There  is  a  wider
range of red varieties, with five varieties accounting for half of the area producing
red grapes. In the case of white varieties, Savvatiano is grown on half of the areas
producing white grapes. There has been a sharp decline in the production of white
varieties: down from 63% of wine grapes in 1989 to 48% in 1999.

6

Wine grapes are grapes intended for the production of wine or alcohol.

7

                                                
–  In Spain, white varieties dominate and account for 63%  of the area  under vines.

There has been little change since 1989.

–  In France, there has been a drop of 7% in red varieties but they still account for
68%  of  production.  The  Carignan  variety  has  fallen  by  43%,  but  Merlot  and
Grenache  have  increased  by  68%  and  10%  respectively.  Among  the  white
varieties, Chardonnay blanc and Sauvignon blanc have gone up by 83% and 74%.

–  In  Italy,  red  and  white  varieties  are  equally  divided  and  offer  a  large  range.  As
many as seven red and nine white varieties account for half of the are under vines.
Among  the  red  varieties,  Barbera  and  Negro  amaro  have  declined  by  40%  and
46% respectively.

–  In  Portugal,  there  is  a  slight  preference  for  red  varieties  (58%  of  the  area  under
vines). As in Italy, there is a big  range.  Among the white varieties, Fernao Pires
and Vital have declined significantly: down by 39% and 63% respectively.

Half of holdings smaller than 0.5 ha

The number of holdings of less than 0.5 ha declined by 33% between 1989 and 1999.
They  nevertheless  continue  to  account  for  half  of  all  wine-growing  holdings  in  the
European Union, while accounting for 5% of the total area under vines. At the other
extreme, vineyards over 9.5 ha account for 5% of the number of holdings but 50% of
vines. The downward trend in the number of holdings has thus been accompanied by
the merging of areas under vines into holdings of larger size. Holdings of more than
30 ha - which accounted for 15% of total area in 1989 - now account for 19%

3.4.

Consistency of survey system

The survey system defined by Council Regulation (EEC) No 357/79 is consistent in
that it allows changes (after plantings, replantings and grubbings) occurring in areas
under vines to be followed between two basic surveys.

Because different methodologies are used for the basic and annual surveys, it is not
unexpected  that  slight  differences  occur  when  figures  for  the  areas  under  vines  are
compiled  from  the  different  surveys.  The  extent  of  these  differences  must
nevertheless remain statistically acceptable.

For  five  of  the  seven  Member  States  involved  in  the  surveys  of  1989  and  1999
(Germany,  Greece,  France,  Luxembourg  and  Portugal),  the  extent  of  difference  is
acceptable. Italy and Spain,  on the other  hand, show discrepancies  which  call for a
marked improvement in the statistical tools used.

8