Bad Harvest Looms For Already-Worried French Winemakers

For France's vintners, historically poor yields are looming for the current harvest after a period of frost in the spring, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Photo Insert: Vineyard sunrise in Bordeaux, France

The Agriculture Ministry announced on Thursday that the yield could be 27 percent lower than last year and 22 percent lower than the average of the past five years.

With an expected 3.44 billion hectoliters, the harvest would be at the same level as in 1977 and even worse than the 1991 and 2017 harvests, which were also affected by frost, it said.

Moisture in the summer led to more infestation of the vines by pests, while at the same time dry spells caused problems for the winegrowers in the Mediterranean region.

A poor harvest is not the only concern for winegrowers. Suppliers reported on the industry platform Vitisphere that there are delays in delivery and rising prices for bottles, wine boxes, and cartons.

Recruiting harvest workers is also proving more difficult than usual this year.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic