French wine production falls to lowest level of the century

France is expected to produce around 34.9 million hectoliters of wine this year, the lowest volume recorded so far this century, according to new estimates from the country’s Agriculture Ministry.

The forecast is an improvement from the 33.9 million hectoliters projected last month, largely due to better yields in Languedoc-Roussillon. However, production is still expected to be 2% lower than in 2025 and 14% below the 2021-2025 average.

The Agriculture Ministry attributed the decline to a reduction in vineyard acreage and lower yields caused by drought and intense summer heat.

The impact varies significantly across France’s wine-producing regions. In Champagne, the harvest ended in early September, the earliest on record, while production fell by half compared with both 2025 and the five-year average due to frost, hail, drought and heat.

Declines were also recorded in Burgundy-Beaujolais, the Loire Valley, Charentes, Jura and southeastern France. Bordeaux, meanwhile, is expected to produce 10% more wine than during last year’s disastrous harvest, although its production remains 11% below the five-year average.