Vineyard in Burgundy.
Famous regions such as Burgundy and Champagne have projected one of the smallest wine crops in recent years.
The Burgundy and Beaujolais harvests are both expected to fall by 35% year-on-year, while the Champagne crop will be down by around 33% compared to 2023.
Last month, the agriculture ministry’s Agreste statistics projected a total harvest of 39.3 million hectolitres for 2024, which would have been one of the weakest in the past century.
It has now cut that forecast by another 4.6% to just 37.5 million hl, citing adverse weather conditions throughout the growing season.
That will represent a 22% decline compared to last year’s crop, while it will also be 15% below the five-year average.
‘This drop is due to unfavourable weather conditions which impacted all wine-growing areas,’ Agreste said in its monthly report.
Agreste noted that all regions will suffer declines, but they will be particularly pronounced in Beaujolais, Burgundy and Champagne.
Many vines flowered during cool, humid weather, leading to coulure and millerandage.
Heavy rains, frost, mildew and hail all caused problems throughout France too, and the harvest was brought forward in the Loire Valley and other regions to prevent further losses.
A small harvest is not exactly disastrous for France, as the country is already dealing with a growing oversupply crisis.
Global wine production outstripped demand by 10% in 2023, according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), and the resulting surplus has pushed down prices and threatened the livelihoods of French growers.
The French government has proposed a €120m plan to remove around 30,000 hectares of vineyards in a bid to tackle the crisis.
In July, Champagne producers called for a 12% cut in the number of grapes harvested this year after sales decreased by 15% in the first half of 2024.
However, many individual growers have suffered substantial losses, which represents a major blow during these challenging times.
In the Languedoc-Roussillon region, the harvest is almost complete, and it is forecast to fall by 13% year-on-year due to drought in some areas and mildew in others.
The Alsace crop is also expected to decline by 13% due to mildew and disrupted flowering, while a 30% decrease is now forecast in the Loire Valley.
In Bordeaux, production is forecast to fall by 14% year-on-year following hail, mildew and issues with coulure.
Yet the worst impacted region will be the Jura, where frost and mildew are expected to reduce the harvest by 75% compared to last year. To compound the issue, thieves have struck in the region.
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