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France Set for One of Its Lowest Wine Harvests in Three Decades
France is heading for one of its weakest wine harvests in decades, with production in 2026 expected to fall to about 33.9 million hectolitres, accordi...
By Wavers Multimedia
The forecast, based on conditions as of September 1, represents a 6 per cent decline from 2025 and is 17 per cent below France’s average production between 2021 and 2025. The figure is equivalent to roughly 4.5 billion standard bottles of wine.
The decline has been driven by a combination of shrinking vineyard areas and lower yields following severe drought and intense heatwaves during the summer. France experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, with extreme weather damaging vines and grapes in several major wine-producing areas.
The Champagne region is among the hardest hit. Its wine production is expected to fall by about 49 per cent compared with 2025 and 47 per cent below its five-year average.
Other regions are also facing significant losses, although the impact varies across the country. Production in Languedoc-Roussillon is expected to rise by about 5 per cent from its poor 2025 harvest because of improved yields, but it would still remain below its 2021–2025 average.
The 2026 harvest follows two consecutive years of weak production. France recorded particularly low output in 2024 and 2025, making the latest forecast the country’s third consecutive weak wine harvest.
The difficult conditions are also coming as France’s wine industry faces longer-term pressure from declining consumption, changing consumer preferences and challenges in some export markets.
The French government has announced more than €1 billion in emergency support for farmers affected by the severe weather conditions, although agricultural groups have argued that more assistance is needed.
If the current forecast is confirmed after the harvest, 2026 would mark an exceptionally low point for French wine production, with the country’s vineyards continuing to face increasing pressure from extreme weather and changing market conditions.