Wine crisis: France looks to tear up 30,000 hectares of vines
It comes as younger people are drinking less wine
People in France are drinking less and less wine, and when they do drink it, it tends to be white, rosé or lighter reds
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France is planning to rip up 30,000 hectares of vineyards worth €120 million to help it deal with the country’s ‘wine crisis’, it has stated, in a new proposal submitted to the European Commission.
The ripped-up vines would equate to almost 4% of France’s 800,000 hectares of vineyard nationwide.
The scheme, which is financed by the French government, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and the Bordeaux wine trade association, is already in place in Gironde.
The industry itself has reluctantly called for the ‘ripping up’ plan, in a bid to staunch losses caused by significantly decreased consumption. Winegrowers who volunteer for the scheme will receive €4,000 per hectare permanently ripped up, but must agree not to replant vines on the land immediately.
Those affected may be able to replant at a later date in a bid to change their grape varieties - switching to lighter types - and adapt to the new market demands.
The European Commission now has one month to respond to the proposal.
All wine-growing regions would be eligible for the scheme. Yet, the wine crisis is particularly bad in the Bordeaux region, where a local ripping-up initiative is already in place, mainly for vineyards that produce heavier red grape varieties.
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Wine crisis as consumption drops
It comes after France is struggling with what has been called a ‘wine crisis’ as people consistently drink less wine than in previous years.
Figures from the l'Observatoire français des drogues et des tendances addictives show that wine consumption has fallen by 70% in France in the past 60 years.
And the trend appears to be accelerating; since 2022, supermarket sales of red wine are down 15%, and exports were down 10% in 2023 compared to 2022, show figures from France AgriMer.
Younger people appear to be choosing other drinks instead of wine.
A 2023 study for Vinexpo found that just one third of wine lovers are under 40, and this same group tends to drink more beer than wine.
If they do drink wine, it tends to be white, rosé or light red rather than robust reds.
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Read also: Four reasons why less wine is being drunk in France
Exports are also down, figures show, with the market not having recovered since before Covid. This is especially true for exports to China. The country is also starting to produce its own wine, and its major imports tend to come from Spain or Italy rather than France.
Read also: Winemakers face new problems each year due to climate change in France
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Similarly, the wine industry has been affected by political issues in recent years, such as the taxes imposed by former US President Donald Trump in 2019, after a dispute between aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing.
