The
ministry revised its figures earlier this month following
an original prediction in July of 51.2m hl (hectoliters).
The current estimate now stands at 49.9hl, 2.4m hl higher
than the 2003 summer affected heat waves.
However, the ministry did confirm that the change
in estimate between July and August is due to the recent
bad weather. Officials say that further bad weather
could continue to reduce the crop, threatening to reduce
overall yields to 2003 levels.
At a time when the EU is looking to solve the European
wine glut problem, it appears that the rain is doing
the job. But French producers cannot blame it all on
the weather as, according to the agriculture ministry,
the drop in Vin de Table production (expected to be
23% this year) is mostly due to an ongoing grubbing-up
programme in the South of France. Meanwhile, appellation
wine production is forecast to fall by approximately
2% this vintage.
Heavy rain this summer has led to fears of odium and
other forms of rot in Bordeaux, with some vineyards
in the Southern Graves losing up to 90% of their crops.
Problems have also been reported in Beaujolais, the
Loire and the Rhône valley. Meanwhile, in Champagne,
The Syndicat Général des Vignerons (SGV)
has predicted that average yields for 2007 will be down
by around 3,000kg per hectare, compared to last year.
The vintage looks set to yield 23 million hectoliters
of appellation wines, 19 million hectolires of VDP and
8 million hectoliters of brandy wine.
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