Spain's wine industry, valued at €22.4bn (£20bn), is grappling with a severe shortage of young workers as the current generation of growers reaches retirement age. A report commissioned by the Spanish Wine Interprofessional Organisation (OIVE) found that nearly 74% of wine-growers are over 50, while those under 40 account for just 9.3% of the sector. The organisation's president, Fernando Ezquerro, warned that without generational replacement, the sector 'will obviously wilt'.
The crisis is driven largely by rural depopulation, known as 'la España vaciada', as young people move to cities for education and employment. Although rural areas cover 84% of Spain's territory, they house only 15.9% of the population, with the number of young people in rural municipalities a third lower than in urban ones. Ezquerro noted that the rural world is 'less attractive for a thousand reasons', and called for collective efforts to make the sector more appealing.
Modernisation and sustainability are seen as key to attracting new talent. Óscar de Íscar, a 36-year-old winemaker and partner in the Cuatro Rayas cooperative, represents the younger generation needed. With a degree in chemical engineering and a master's in winery management, he believes the sector must highlight its entrepreneurial potential. 'Winemakers are business people,' he said, adding that many young people do not see wine as a viable career path.
De Íscar pointed to a survey showing four in 10 young Spaniards aged 18-25 aspire to be civil servants, indicating a weak culture of entrepreneurship. However, he emphasised that current winemakers are 'the best-prepared generation in history' with advanced technical resources. The sector accounts for 2% of jobs in Spain and 1.6% of its GDP, underscoring the urgency of attracting younger workers to sustain the industry.
