France’s Wine Output to Slump to 4-Year Low as Vineyards Ravaged
- Loire valley, Champagne hardest hit by frost, hail, disease
- Drop to exceed decline in Italy, world’s largest wine producer
A damaged bunch of grapes in the Chablis vineyard region in Saint-Bris-le-Vineux near Auxerre on Sept. 21. Frost in April, hail in May and a heatwave at the end of summer have severely damaged the Chablis vineyards this year. / AFP / PHILIPPE DESMAZES (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)
Photographer: Philippe Desmazes/AFP via Getty ImagesFrench wine production will be the lowest in four years after spring frost, hailstorms, grape rot and drought combined to damage crops from the northern Champagne region to the Charentes area in the southwest, the Agriculture Ministry forecast.
The 2016 vintage will slump 12 percent to 42.18 million hectoliters, the least since 2012, the ministry predicted, cutting its outlook for a second time since July. Champagne and the Loire valley were hardest hit, followed by the Charentes region and Burgundy. The estimated output equals about 5.6 billion bottles.