Spring frosts and summer heatwaves have taken a toll on French vineyards

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

France’s wine output is expected to fall 12% this year, after spring frosts followed by summer heatwaves took a heavy toll on vineyards across the country.

Overall production is estimated to reach 43.4m hectolitres (1.15bn gallons), down from 49.4m hectolitres last year, the country’s agriculture ministry said on Friday.

That would be about 4% below average production over the past five years, the ministry added.

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Large swaths of France were hit by spring cold snaps that killed off young grape clusters or stunted their growth, in particular in the west.

The country then experienced a series of heatwaves, including a fierce episode in late July when temperatures soared to over 40C in places, withering grapes on the vine, especially in the south.

European and US researchers later determined that July had been the hottest month on record across the globe.

The agriculture ministry said rains in early August managed to limit the losses in some areas, though hailstorms damaged several vineyards in the Beaujolais region, famous for its young nouveau wines that hit shelves worldwide each November.