The National Grape Harvest Festival 2026 will take place from this Friday until Tuesday, March 10th, amidst the worst crisis in the last 20 years. The weather forecast is not cooperating with the central celebration, planned for this Saturday at the Frank Romero Day Greek Theatre, in a context where the 2026 wine harvest season does not, to put it mildly, inspire a festive atmosphere. The sector is facing a significant drop in production and deep tension in the value chain that threatens the survival of the primary link. According to the National Institute of Viticulture (INV), by the end of February, a 26% year-on-year drop in harvest volume was recorded, exceeding a difference of 800,000 quintals compared to the same period in 2025. Similarly, the methodological studies of the Association of Argentine Wine Cooperatives (ACOVI) projected a general 17% decrease in this year's harvest. The country's flagship grape, Malbec, will feel the impact with a 30% contraction, while the total volume of red grapes will fall by 27%. Vice President Victoria Villarruel arrived in Mendoza to participate in the main official activities. In the Senate leader's agenda, which was accessed by the Argentine News Agency (NA), her presence is planned at the traditional breakfast of the Argentine Wine Corporation (COVIAR), to which Mendoza Governor Alfredo Cornejo will also attend. One-third of the registered wineries Industrial activity in Mendoza is also affected: only 33% of the registered wineries have begun their production tasks. In San Juan, grape growers warn that many processing plants will not open their doors due to a lack of liquidity to cover winemaking expenses or advance payments for the harvest. However, the profitability of producers is the true core of the Vendimia 2026 conflict. Mendoza's Minister of Production, Rodolfo Vargas Arizu, publicly urged them to defend the value of the grape, arguing that a low accumulated wine stock, given the growth prospects for wine and must exports, should drive prices up. In that sense, last January, total wine exports increased by 17.9% year-on-year, driven mainly by a phenomenal 59.1% jump in the sale of bulk wine, to which was added a 37.7% increase in concentrated must. Central event In the midst of these challenges and the uncomfortable institutional situation that the presence of the president and vice president creates in the province, whose relationship is severed, rains could intensify precisely during the main show, forcing the provincial government and Civil Defense to evaluate possible scenarios. While decisions are awaited, the festival continues with activities in different parts of the province, because beyond the production situation, it functions as a great popular celebration that extends throughout all the Mendoza departments, each with its own festivities. One of the most popular events in recent days was the Harvest Festival, which brought together about 10,000 people. There, the band Las Pelotas performed along with the Mendoza Symphony Orchestra in a show that combined rock and classical music and was attended by provincial authorities. There were also celebrations in the city, such as the party on Arístides Street, one of Mendoza's most important gastronomic arteries.
