France expects lowest wine production in 30 years due to heat, drought and Trump tariffs

Author, News Department

Place of work, BBC Russian Service

Published 6 hours ago

Reading time: 3 min

French wine production this year will be one of the lowest in the last three decades; champagne will be produced at once in half as much as last year. This forecast was issued on Monday by the French Ministry of Agriculture.

The main reason for the reduction in production is the heat and drought that affected the vineyards this summer. They have also been hit by declines in wine consumption and vineyard acreage, as well as falling US sales due to tariffs imposed last year by Donald Trump.

In France, as in other European countries, this summer turned out to be the hottest on record. Scientists say climate change will make such heat waves and other extreme weather events more common.

France will produce 33.9 million hectoliters, or 4.5 billion standard bottles of wine, this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. This is 6% less than last year and 17% less than the 2021-2025 average. Wine production in France had also declined in the previous two years.

On August 4, the French government announced that it would provide winemakers with one billion euros in emergency aid. Farm workers' organizations say that's not enough.

France ranks second in the world in terms of wine production (after Italy) and first in terms of revenue from its exports.

In addition to droughts and Trump's tariffs, French winemakers are constantly under pressure from a reduction in wine consumption, which is driven by economic difficulties, and the fact that potential consumers are drinking less and less in general, switching to a healthy lifestyle.

Because of this last circumstance, winemakers are gradually reducing the area of ​​vineyards. This year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, it decreased by 2.5% compared to last year.

Half the amount of champagne

All these unfavorable circumstances hit Champagne the hardest this year: according to the forecast, the amount of champagne wine this year will be only 49% of last year.

Wine production in the Burgundy-Beaujolais region will fall by a third, in the Loire Valley by 12%, and in Charente by 6%.

At the same time, in the largest wine-growing region, Languedoc-Roussillon, as well as in Bordeaux, production will increase by 5-10% compared to last year, but will still be below the average for the last five years.

Download the new BBC World Service app!

When you first open the app, select "BBC News Russian Service" and receive notifications about important news, analysis, videos and podcasts.