Wine: good harvest expected this year – Liberation

Wine: good harvest expected this year – Liberation

The French wine industry is expected to crop up this year, although drought and hail damaged some vineyards, good news after two disastrous years, but that should not be enough to bring down the price of wine. “After two years of excessively low harvests, we return to something more normal (…). We start auspicious start of the harvest “, welcomed Despey Jerome, president of the wine branch of the public institution FranceAgrimer during a press conference Friday at Montreuil.

45.4 million hectoliters of wine should be produced with grapes that will be picked up in the coming weeks, a figure consistent with the five-year average, according to information gathered from the last two days winemakers the Hexagon by FranceAgriMer.

In late July, the Ministry of Agriculture established a first slightly higher forecast at 46.4 million hectoliters. These projections can always be changed at the whim of weather conditions that could occur in the coming weeks. Because the harvest just beginning in the Languedoc-Roussillon (Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Muscat), Corsica and in some plots in Provence. They will continue until October.

For the moment anyway, ‘signals are green “ as the vines have enjoyed better weather after two disastrous years , which is “important for the industry because stocks were very low, with pressure on supply in all regions,” , said Jerome Despey. In 2013, production had reached 42.3 million hectoliters, while the average from 2009 to 2013 is 45.6 million.

The quality appointment

“This will allow for repositioning in terms of market competitiveness” International, said Jerome Despey. Recently, given the low inventory, “We were not able to meet all requests. Some operators diverted the French market, “. The place of France has declined in recent years on the world wine market, especially in its traditional customers (Germany, UK, USA), where its production is challenged by Italy and Spain, although it remains in China.

The Champagne could even see its production increase by almost 20% over the five-year average of 3.2 million hectoliters, due to favorable weather. In Bordeaux, harvesting should return average, to 5.5 million, and bounce of 40% compared to 2013, where vineyards were ravaged by hail. This year, they are those of Languedoc-Roussillon who suffered a “hot and dry spring followed by episodes of very large hail in the Aude, west of the Hérault and Gard” regret Despey Jerome, himself a winemaker in the region. Their production is expected to fall by nearly 10% over the 5-year average. “Some growers are returning 15-20% (grape, ie) less because of the drought,” , he says.

In addition, the quality seems in spite of a summer in the changing weather, which brought rain and cool in much of the country visit. “To date there are no worries in different production areas on the health status, which is well controlled by the winegrowers’ , he said. And there is not yet reason “to anticipate the harvest” because of the weather. However, the correct harvest should not prevent prices from rising next year as “stocks are still lower” that a decade ago when production was close to 60 million hl, said Jerome Despey.

It was not until the fall to get a really accurate price idea, but red wine may increase by 2-3% on average, and rosé wine in great demand which France is 1 ^st largest producer, more. Currently, hectoliter rose Pays d’Oc is trading at 85 euros, against 80 last year, says the winemaker.