Wine production in France hard hit by the vagaries of the weather in 2021

Vineyards near Saint-Emilion in southwestern France (illustrative image).

AP - Bertrand Combaldieu

Text by: Agnieszka Kumor

3 min

France is demoted to third place after Italy and Spain for its wine production in 2021. It is the second time in twenty years that it has found itself in this place.

At issue: climate change and its effects, but France remains the leading exporter of wines in value.

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The vagaries of the weather got the better of a good part of the French harvest.

27% fewer grapes for this vintage saved from the waters, but which also suffered from spring frost, summer rains and hail.

On top of that, the South had the right to drought.

Because of the rains, the vines developed diseases, especially downy mildew, caused by a fungus, or powdery mildew, which is characterized by white rot.

France has suffered the most from the effects of a disastrous vintage compared to its European neighbors, notes the International Organization of Vine and Wine in its first estimates.

Barely 34.2 million hectoliters produced in France.

Lowest harvest since 1957

You have to go back to 1957 to see such low harvest levels. All French vineyards without distinction suffered the same fate. A

in Champagne, which had not seen such a weak harvest since the 1950s. Losses of up to 50% in the Rhône Valley and Burgundy (in Chablis some winegrowers have lost almost - all of their grapes). Production is expected to be a quarter below average in Bordeaux. It is the devastation among producers working organically, biodynamically or benefiting from the High Environmental Value label, because their vines cannot be chemically treated.

Will we run out of wines?

It is obvious that this 2021 vintage will be rare.

But the previous vintages, notably 2020 and 2018, have been abundant and producers have been able to replenish their stocks.

Will they be enough to make the join if the demand is still so strong?

That's the whole question ...

Exports exceed pre-crisis levels

However, the disastrous situation in the vineyard seems to be partly mitigated by a strong resumption of shipments. Starting with the champagne wines. The

expects 305 million bottles to be sold at the end of the year. Over the first six months of 2021, sales of champagnes increased by 41.3%, compared to 2020, a year marked by the pandemic. But above all 5.6%, compared to 2019, considered a

year

Demand is also strong for Burgundy wines.

On all continents, Burgundy posted sales increases of 17% in volume and 22% in value.

Bordeaux wines follow, whose exports are finally rebounding (21% increase in value over one year).

Thanks to their stocks of wines, French producers hope to keep their market share.

Especially in the face of their colleagues in the Southern Hemisphere who were able to benefit from much milder weather conditions.

Leading exporter by value

The French are counting on the economic recovery. And the figures prove them right: in the first half of 2021, France exported 7.2 million hectoliters of wine for a turnover of 5.2 billion euros [source: French Customs, Business France / Department Agrotech. [NB: 10% of the volumes exported from France are not French wines, the same for 5% of the exported value], i.e. an increase of 15% in volume and 9% in value compared to the first half of 2019, period comparison. It is above all third countries, despite the British and Chinese recovery, which are rebounding, more than Europe.

France thus remains the world's leading exporter of wines in terms of value.

And it could take advantage of the general trend: according to OIV forecasts, world wine consumption should increase by 2% this year, after a decline of 3% in 2020, a year strongly affected by the related health restrictions. at Covid-19.

►Also read: Climate: drought and rain risk driving up the price of pasta

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