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French wine production set for 70-year low following devastating summer
Famous winegrowing areas such as Champagne and Burgundy have seen yields slashed in half
French winemakers are reporting a sharp drop in harvest this year following a devastating combination of droughts, intense weather conditions, and reduction in cultivated landmass over the last year.
Estimates from the Ministry of Agriculture predict production in 2026 will drop below 34 million hectolitres, 6% below figures from 2025, which was itself a small harvest.
The ministry’s statistics service ‘Agreste’ said it would be “one of the smallest harvests of the last 30 years,” and if the estimates prove accurate, the lowest since 1957 according to the International Vine and Wine Organisation (Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin, OIV).
Regional variations
The ministry figures point to strong variations in production across the country, with popular wine regions like Champagne and Burgundy seeing major drops while Bordeaux winegrowers surprisingly experienced an increase in yields.
The east of the country is set to be the hardest hit, with early indications from harvests in Champagne (beginning in mid-August) that the area is struggling.
Yields are set to be -48% compared to last year, and half of the five-year average.
A mix of several intense hailstorms, heatwaves, and drought has seen yields of Burgundy and Beaujolais varieties drop by around 33% against 2025’s figures.
For the Pinot Noir varieties grown in the area, they are down by as much as 50% compared to last year.
The Jura harvest is also set to be down around 36%.
In the west, the Loire Valley has fared better, with harvests down 12% compared to last year and 18% compared to the five-year average.
Worryingly however, younger vines have suffered the most, pointing to difficulties in long-term production.
The south-west in contrast fared better, although yields are still down in the long-term.
Harvest around Bordeaux will be bolstered by late summer rains counteracting drought issues, and are up 10% compared to last year.
Similarly, the Languedoc-Roussillon will see yields increase by 5%.
In both cases however, this year’s yields will be down compared to the five-year average, and it is only because last year’s yields were so low that numbers are on the up this year.
In the south-east, there was initially hope that yields would be strong, but successive late summer storms have impacted a number of vineyards.
Production is expected to be close to 2025 levels, potentially even up to 2% higher, but below the five-year average.
Several of these regions have seen thousands of acres of vines ripped up as demand for wine drops and climate changes impact wine-growing regions.
