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French wine output among lowest in 30 years after heatwaves
The agriculture ministry said drought and heatwaves cut yields across major regions, with Champagne output expected to fall by nearly half.
On Monday, the French farm ministry projected wine production at 33.9 million hectolitres, marking the lowest output in 30 years due to severe heat and drought damage.
Summer drought and heatwaves damaged vines across France, reducing yields; the ministry stated that "soil drought intensified across the entire region," causing sun scald and wilting of grapes.
Champagne production is expected to halve from 2025, down 49 percent; Bourgogne-Beaujolais is forecast to drop by one-third, while Val de Loire and Charentes face declines of 12 percent and 6 percent respectively.
On Friday, France announced $1.16 billion in emergency aid for farmers responding to record heatwaves that devastated crops, pastures, and water supplies across the nation.
The national production area fell 2.5 percent this year, marking a third consecutive weak harvest; however, Bordeaux production should rebound 10 percent and Languedoc-Roussillon yields rose 5 percent.
On Monday, in the blazing sun on a parched vineyard, a winegrower near the southern French city of Montpellier held a bunch of grapes for the camera of…
7 hours ago·Amsterdam, Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
The heat and drought caused serious damage to the French vineyards, and if the government's forecast came true, the country would receive the smallest wine harvest since 1957.
The Mike Hosking Breakfast discuss France’s heat-driven 2026 wine harvest slump, with output near 34m hectolitres and Champagne production roughly halved