French wine grape harvest set to hit historic low

With its wine industry hit by a swathe of summer heatwaves, France is set to see this year's harvest hit a historic low. At around 35 million hectoliters, the total harvest would be down 2% on the mediocre 2025 yield and 14% below the 2021-2025 average, according to estimates published by the Agriculture Ministry on Wednesday, October 7. According to the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), which tracks global statistics on wine production and consumption, France had previously recorded its lowest production since 1957 last year. This latest decline is not just down to hot weather, which has been slightly mitigated by recent rainfall, but also a reduction in cultivated areas, which have been pared back 1.9% over the past year. Read more Subscribers only France's grape harvest threatened by drought, despite promising 2026 vintage Regions affected differently Some southern areas, already battered by the heat in 2025, have nonetheless seen production rise this year, notably Bordeaux. There, despite a 5% decrease in total cultivated areas, production is set to come in up 10% on 2025, albeit still 11% below the 2021-2025 average. For the southwest, the rise is around 12%, essentially a return to the previous four-year average. The Champagne region fared less well, as growers had to harvest exceptionally early after the extreme heat accelerated sugar buildup – and hence natural alcohol production. The harvest there wrapped up in September for the first time, with production down by half on last year and the five-year average. Read more Subscribers only In Sarthe, grape harvest moves to August, an unprecedented shift for local winegrowers In Burgundy and the Beaujolais region, production is projected to be 30% lower than the five-year average. Southern vines 'more resilient to the climate' "It's a level of heterogeneity I've never experienced before," said Jérôme Despey, chairman of the wine advisory board at the public agency FranceAgriMer and a winegrower in the southern Herault department. In the south, "we've seen that vines have been more resilient to the climate," he said, with previous intense heat spells causing growers to adapt vineyard management practices such as largely leaving leaves to protect the grapes. Read more Subscribers only 'In 48 years in the business, I've never seen anything like it': Heatwaves bring early grape harvests and fears of low yields Southern regions also benefited from May rainfall. The ministry and the industry emphasised overall the "excellent health" of the harvest, free of fungi and other moisture-related diseases. Le Monde with AFP