France is set to see one of its smallest wine harvests in three decades, according to preliminary figures from the country’s government.
According to France’s agriculture ministry, production is estimated to be 34 million hectolitres, down 6% on 2025.
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The ministry pointed to the heatwaves and drought conditions that hit France this summer.
The estimate would mean wine production would be 17% lower than the 2021 to 2025 average, the ministry added.
In a statement issued today (7 September), the ministry said the harvest picture “varied significantly” across France’s wine-growing regions. Some regions are recording “sharp declines” but others are seeing “slightly better yields following the poor harvests of 2025”, the ministry explained.
In Champagne, production is expected to be down 49% year-on-year and 47% lower than the 2021-2025 average.
The estimates suggest combined production in Bourgogne and Beaujolais will be a third lower on 2025 and the five-year average. The region suffered from hail storms earlier in the year. Pinot Noir production is estimated to be down 50%.
By contrast, further south in Languedoc-Roussillon, output is expected to be 12% higher despite a 3% decline in productive vineyards. The region is, nonetheless, set to report an 8% fall in output on the 2021-2025 average.
The harvest forecasts were completed by 1 September, the ministry said.
Reviewing the overall estimates, the ministry added: “Conditions at the start of the season had been favourable. Spring soil moisture replenishment, good cluster development and low disease had initially suggested a higher harvest potential.
“However, the hot, dry summer conditions diminished this potential. While late rainfall locally mitigated the effects of the drought, its impact on total national volume is expected to remain limited.
“At this stage, all wine categories show a year-on-year decline, with the exception of IGP wines – predominantly from the Languedoc-Roussillon region – though their volume remains 7% below the five-year average.”
