France’s record small 2024 vintage
The production of wine in France is estimated to decline by 18% year-on-year and 11% against a five-year average, according to a report by “the Drinks Business” – https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/ .
This would make it one of the lowest years for production since the Second World War, when the industry was recovering, and one of the smallest harvests in a century.
The decline is due to particularly unfavourable weather conditions that have reduced production potential in almost all wine-growing areas, as the impact of climate change in traditional wine-growing regions has begun to bite.
The most significant declines concern the vineyards of Jura, Charentes, Val de Loire and Beaujolais-Bourgogne. All categories of wines will be affected by this decline.
This year, many vineyards have been impacted by phenomena such as coulure, which causes the flowers and young berries to fall, or millerandage, which causes a variation in the size of the berries.
The phenomena are the result of wet and cool periods during flowering and mildew has affected the majority of wine-growing areas, sometimes causing significant losses.
Champagne expected to be 16% lower due to spring frosts, coulure, hail, mildew and scalding during the growing season.
In Burgundy, mildew is causing losses, “particularly in Côte d’Or”, and hail has affected the Yonne vineyards. In Beaujolais, mildew and hail are causing significant losses. Production in the whole of Burgundy-Beaujolais would be a quarter lower than the high level in 2023.
Meanwhile, in Alsace, mildew and flowering disrupted by cool, wet weather are resulting in a 13% decline in production. In Savoie, frost in the spring, then mildew in the summer affected the vineyard, with production dropping by 5% over one year.
In the Loire Valley, mildew and coulure, following flowering in cold and humid conditions have also caused significant losses.
Bordeaux’s reduction in surface area, which has come as part of the plan to uproot 8,000 ha this year, as well as losses caused by coulure, millerandage, mildew, and hailstorms are contributing to a decrease in production. This is expected to fall by 10%, after an already reduced harvest in 2023.