Latvia’s grape growers expand vineyards as winemaking grows

Grape growing and winemaking are expanding in Latvia, with about 130 small winemaker licences currently issued and farms increasing their areas planted with wine grapes, LSM reported. Growers consider this year’s harvest good, despite challenges caused by changeable summer weather.

Gatis Kužums has one of the largest grape collections in the Baltics, with more than 500 varieties. He has worked with grape growing and breeding for more than 30 years and has developed about 30 varieties himself.

“I am very interested in breeding and cross varieties. For example, I may like one variety and wonder what will happen if I combine two of them,” Kužums said.

Several varieties developed by Kužums were displayed in the courtyard of Bauska Castle during the annual Latvian Grapes exhibition on Saturday. The exhibition featured private growers and the Horticulture Institute, which brought 60 grape varieties to Bauska.

“In the south, it is becoming too hot for grapes, while Latvia’s conditions are suitable because they provide the right balance between acidity and sugar,” said Dzintra Dēķena, a researcher at the Horticulture Institute.

September is harvest time for grape growers, but this year the weather made the process difficult. The season began with intense heat, followed by wet conditions and diseases resulting from the moisture, said Ričards Ivanovs, chairman of the Latvian Association of Grape Growers and Winemakers.

The industry is growing, with about 130 small winemaker licences issued. Last year, small alcoholic beverage producers released more than 110 tonnes of wine and fermented beverages for consumption, including about five tonnes of grape wine.

Grapes grown in Latvia are suitable for eating fresh, while others are used for processing and winemaking. Wine expert Agnese Gintere said the quality of Latvian grapes and fruit wines had improved rapidly each year.

Growers say the key is finding the variety best suited to each growing location.