The ministry of agriculture announced last week, that vicious storms had hit France in April, causing wine output to drop down to almost 10 percent this year compared to 2015’s productivity. So wine enthusiasts should take into account that 2016 will be scarce vintage.
This unfortunate turn of weather conditions throughout spring and into the summer will bring the total production down to 42.9 million hectoliters, in comparison to 47.8 million last year. Based on the ministry’s statistical service Agreste, there’s been a seven percent drop on a five year basis.
Agreste said that it was “the spring freeze that hit certain wine growing areas, recurring winds made worse by drought around the Mediterranean and damage stemming from frost.” The most devastating damage was against the champagne region, which hit various places after a few rounds of spring freeze and wild hailstorms that brought down the productivity by nearly one third. Setting harvesting back a week behind schedule revolving around a 10 yearly average.
Based on these savage weather occurrences, France has had to manage a surge of rot and mildew, which has not helped their wine output. It looks like France will be behind Italy this year in wine productivity, so Italy might once again take the title of the world’s biggest wine producer, just like they did last year.
