“Latest figures for France…

According to the crop forecast drawn up on the first of October, France would produce 40.609000 hectolitres of wine in 2012 (-20% in comparison with 2011, -13% in comparison with the five-year average). Each time there is a new issue of the Newsletter from the Office of Statistics and Studies, the French crop forecast decreases (42.9 million hectolitres in September, 44.1 million in August). Le latest Newsletter explains that “in view of the trend decline of the vine surfaces in production, the year 2012 is close to 2008 with regard to the overall return”.

All the categories of the wines produced are affected by the overall decrease of the production. In comparison with 2011, the decrease would reach 15% for the wine production with Protected Designation of Origin (estimated to 19.38 million hl), -19% for the wine production with Protected Geographical Indication (14.07 million hl), -22% for the wines set aside for making eaux-de-vie (6.81 million hl) and -42% for the wines without geographical indications (3.05 million hl). Further to an important crop, the production of wines without geographical indications had been particularly high in 2011. In comparison with the five-year average, the estimated production of wines without geographical indications in 2012 would be reduced by 5%.

The forecast is being revised downwards mainly because of the dry weather in September. The Office of Statistics and studies are also announcing that “in view of the heterogeneity of the weight of the berries in the wine areas of most of the regions, the exact yields would not be known before the end of the harvest, expected at the end of October”. If the current forecast is fulfilled, France would only just remain at the first place of the wine producer countries in the world”.