Drought threatens Alentejan wine

Wine producers in the Alentejo are looking at the weather in dread. It is much too warm for this time of year (and vines need the cold at this time of year, to keep them from budding), and much too dry. Unless rain comes soon, the next season’s harvest will be a disaster, they warn. Adding to the drama, the lack of rain means the risk of forest fires in the summer will be all the more acute.