The harvest is almost coming to an end in France with the first estimates of the harvest which should be very qualitative. But now, the results are very mixed, in particular because of the weather hazards responsible for significant losses of grapes. This comes in the context of inflation and geopolitical tensions which are weighing on the markets and which are driving up the price of wine.
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This 2023 campaign will have been one of the most complicated to carry out, estimates Jean-Marie Fabre, president of the Independent Winegrowers of France: “ If I take the Languedoc-Roussillon vineyard which is located all around the Mediterranean rim, in the south of France, this year it is cut in two. There is a part of this vineyard which experiences normal conditions, and therefore produces production in line with what the winegrowers expected. Then, there is the entire coastal strip which reaches as far as the Pyrenees which has just experienced an unprecedented drought. And there, we will find ourselves with production levels which will have fallen by 30 to 60% compared to an average year. »
Inflation
Drought, but also hail, the south of the country has experienced it all. In the west, the toll is heavy due to downy mildew, the disease which has ravaged the vines. Only the Loire stands out. Just like Champagne, Alsace and Burgundy in eastern France. The quality and volumes are there.
This situation will weigh on the price: “ Today, inflation which goes from raw materials to energy, transport, bottles, boxes, but also to salaries which have been indexed, is a 40% increase. The bottle of wine sold to the final consumer will not increase by 40%, otherwise we will not sell it “. An increase of 3 to 5% per bottle is however expected, with producers preferring to cut back on their margins rather than lose their customers.
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