French vintners across all regions are expected to produce lower volumes of wine in this year’s harvest, following a slew of climatic challenges and health issues impacting vineyards.
New findings from the national Ministry of Agriculture’s statistical department (SSP) today (9 August) have forecasted winemakers to produce between 40 to 43 million hectolitres of wine on average.
This represents between a 10% and 16% decline on volumes year-on-year, according to an official release from the Ministry of Agriculture. It would also signal a 3% to 10% drop on average annual production figures since 2019.
The predictions are based on estimations for the year collated by the SSP up until 1 August.
Wine regions monitored by the SSP in its assessment included the Gironde, Bas-Rhin, Marne, Savoie and Dordogne departments.
When it came to specific wine categories, the SSP said it expected AOP wines, such as those produced in Bordeaux or Alsace, to produce between 9% and 16% lower volumes than in 2023, hitting between 16 to 17.6 million hectolitres in 2024.
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By GlobalDataWines produced for eaux-de-vie fruit brandies are expected to see the largest annual drop this year, with volumes expected to slump 22% to 28% on average to between 9 and 9.9 million hectolitres.
Volumes of IGP wines, which includes Pays d’Oc and Côtes de Gascogne, have been forecast in a range between a 5% dip and 3% growth, sitting between 11 and 12 million hectolitres.
Wines from other regions, or which lack a geographical indication (GI), were forecasted to see volumes drop between 13% and 19% to around three million hectolitres in each instance.
Explaining reasons behind the expected decline, the ministry’s statement explained that “many vineyards” had been victim to health and climate-related issues. These included “coulure” which refers to grape flowers that are only able to grow small grapes that eventually wither, and “millerandage” which produces varied grape sizes, “a consequence of humid and cool conditions during flowering”.
Mildew was said to be another challenge faced by vintners due to the “humid conditions at the beginning of summer”. The ministry said the problem would likely impact “most wine-growing areas and could cause significant losses”.
The ministry added: “Episodes of frost or hail have also locally reduced production volumes. However, the well-recharged soils could limit this drop in production. Vegetation is one to two weeks behind last year.”
