France Braces for a 30-Year-Low Wine Harvest After Its Hottest Summer on Record

France's agriculture ministry is forecasting the country's smallest wine harvest in thirty years, after a summer of record heat and drought left grapes scorched, wilted, and in some regions damaged by wildfire smoke. Early estimates put this year's production at just under 34 million hectolitres, roughly 6% below last year and 17% below the five-year average.

The pain is not spread evenly. Champagne, where picking began unusually early in mid-August, is expected to bring in barely half of last year's crop. The Jura region is down an estimated 37%, and Burgundy-Beaujolais is forecast to fall by about a third. Bordeaux and the Languedoc-Roussillon actually reported stronger harvests than last year, though still below their own five-year averages, and growers there are watching for so-called "smoke taint" from wildfires that came within nine miles of Bordeaux itself.

Not everyone agrees the ministry's numbers tell the full story. Producers in Burgundy have pushed back on the figures, arguing the picture on the ground is more mixed than a single regional average suggests, and the ministry itself has cautioned that final numbers won't be confirmed until harvest declarations are filed later this year.

The shortfall lands on an industry already dealing with falling wine consumption at home and tariff pressure in the United States, France's largest export market.

For the full reporting, see The Guardian.

While French harvests recover, here are some bottles from the regions in the story: Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Extra Brut (2016), Henri Dosnon Champagne Rosé Brut (NV), R. Dutoit Pouilly-Fuissé Les Vieilles Vignes (2024), and Château de Parenchère Bordeaux Supérieur (2022).