Bad Results for the 2024 Wine Harvest

 
Bad Results for the 2024 Wine Harvest

The 2024 French wine harvest is expected to be one of the smallest in recent history, with production levels down 18% thanks to this year’s unusual weather conditions.

A cool, wet start to the summer alongside widespread humidity created ideal conditions for mildew and other vine diseases, which has severely impacted grape yields. France’s agriculture ministry, through its statistical agency Agreste, estimated a total yield of around 39.3m hectolitres of wine for 2024, an 18% decline on 2023. This puts the 2024 harvest among the six smallest of the past century.

Burgundy and the Loire Valley were particularly hard-hit, with yields down by as much as 30% in some areas. Beaujolais’s vineyards fell foul of hail damage, while the Loire suffered problems with fruit setting and uneven berry development. Bordeaux said it expected a 10% drop in production while Champagne predicted a 19% reduction thanks to spring frosts and bad weather during flowering. But the Jura, where vin jaune is produced, has suffered the worst of all. The smallest of the country’s major winegrowing regions, it has seen a drop of 71% following catastrophic frosts in April.

These extreme weather events pose a significant challenge to winemakers and emphasise the need to adapt as climate change increasingly disrupts traditional growing patterns. Since 2000, France’s annual yields have varied between 36m hectolitres and 51m hectolitres. This year’s yield drop could impact France’s global standing as a wine producer, with Spain potentially overtaking France in total production volume.

From France Today Magazine

Lead photo credit : Green vineyards located on hills of Jura French region ready to harvest and making red, white and special jaune wine, late sunmer in France, © Shutterstock

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