Export volumes of French wine fell 2.7% in the 12 months leading up to July 2003, according to figures from the national wine body ONIVINS, the fourth fall in the last five years. However, the value of exports was up to €5.723 billion (US$6.571 billion) from €5.685 billion.
Volumes though were down to 15,083m hectolitres, compared to 15,503m hectolitres for 2001/02, with the figures showing that the largest fall was in AOC wines, down 7.6%. Sparkling wines fell only 1%, with Champagne up 1%. Table wines rose 1.5%.
Export volumes to Japan and the US suffered the most, falling 10.6% each. Sales to the other EU countries were down 2.3%.
Region by region, Alsace was up 2.9%. But the good news stopped there with Bordeaux down 4.1%, Languedoc-Roussillon down 5.3%, Cotes du Rhone falling 7.8%, Val de Loire down 9.4%, Beaujolais down 10.7% and Burgundy falling 11.7%.
