French Wine Production Plunges Amid Unfavorable Weather and Diseases

French wine production is projected to drop to 39.3 million hectolitres this year, an 18% decline from last year, due to adverse weather and diseases. The fall is significantly impacting regions like Jura, Charentes, and Bordeaux, amid decreasing domestic consumption. Winemakers are taking measures to address the reduced output.

Bad weather has walloped wine production in France, with output expected to be 39.3 million hectolitres this year, down 18% from last year, the farm ministry said on Friday. The figure is below an initial range of 40 million-43 million projected last month.

The lower wine production was particularly high in the Jura, Charentes, Val de Loire and Beaujolais-Bourgogne regions, the ministry said in a statement. "This decline is due to particularly unfavourable climatic conditions which have reduced the production potential in almost all wine-growing areas," it said.

Like other crops, including cereals, grapes have suffered from heavy rainfall in France over the past year. These helped the spread of diseases among vineyards, the ministry said. In addition, many of them experienced so-called coulure, a fall in flowers and young berries due to humid and cool conditions during flowering.

(With inputs from agencies.)