Even in Midsummer, Grapes Turn Yellow: European Wine Industry Hit Hard

The grape clusters hanging on the vines have withered and turned black.

Even in the middle of summer, the grapevine leaves have turned yellow like autumn foliage.

As parts of Europe suffered through record-breaking heatwaves and droughts this summer, vineyards producing wine have sustained heavy damage.

In France's Champagne region, grape yields have dropped to half of last year's level, and the eastern region is also projected to see grape production decrease by more than 30%.

The decline in grape production is directly impacting the wine market, with French wine production this year expected to stall at 34 million hectoliters, or about 3.4 billion liters.

This represents a 6% decrease from last year and a 17% drop compared to the average of the past five years.

With grape cultivation areas already reduced by 2.5% this year due to a drop in wine consumption, the compounded impact of the heatwave has led to a sharp plunge in wine production.

The International Organisation of Vine and Wine stated that France's wine production this year is set to record its lowest level in 69 years since 1957.

France is not the only one.

In neighboring Spain's major wine-producing region of Castilla-La Mancha, this year's wine production is projected to fall to around 1.9 billion liters, more than 10% below normal years.

In Italy, concerns are also rising as grapes ripen prematurely due to the heatwave, forcing increasingly early harvests.

[Interview / Jerome / Wine Producer: I started this work in 1998, and back then, the harvest took place around September 15 or 20. But this year is just like 2003 (when the harvest took place in mid-August).]

Wine farmers, who are already struggling with a sharp decline in per capita wine consumption in France to one-third of 1960 levels, are now facing the additional blow of heatwave damage, prompting the French government to announce a 1 billion euro emergency relief package for farmers.

Video by Lee Seung-yeol
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.