French wine production down by a fifth after September washout

France has cut its projection for this year’s wine crop following the rainiest September in 25 years.
The farms ministry expects 2024 to be among the worst recent vintages in such prized winemaking regions as Champagne, Burgundy and Beaujolais.
A reduced forecast of 37.5 million hectolitres — a hectolitre being equivalent to 133 standard wine bottles — is in line with the poor 2021 vintage that was marked by frost damage. It is 22 per cent below last year’s crop and 15 per cent below the five-year average.
“This drop is due to unfavourable weather conditions which impacted all wine-growing areas,” the ministry said in a monthly report.
All types of wine were affected, it said, but particularly those from Burgundy, Beaujolais and Champagne. The Champagne crop would be down by a third from last year and 14 per cent below the five-year average, while Burgundy and Beaujolais would be down 35 per cent.
The ministry said many vines had flowered in cool and humid weather, causing millerandage and coulure, conditions in which grapes are small, or young grapes and flowers drop off the vine. “Added to this were losses due to frost, mildew and hail.”
As a result of the September rain, the harvest was brought forward in some regions to limit health risks and additional losses.
British vineyards have also warned of a slow harvest this year, with Gusbourne in Kent, which is two-thirds owned by the Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft, expecting a harvest of “high-quality but reduced yield compared to last year’s record 2023 vintage”.