‘Never seen such damage’: Mildew hits vines in French wine region

The price of a bottle of Bordeaux wine could go up as uncertainty continues over the impact of this year’s severe mildew.

Production losses could reach as much as 30%, a report from Agreste (the statistics bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture) has said. Vines in the Bordeaux region - and much of the southwest - have been affected.

For the 2023 season, French wine production is predicted to reach between 44 million and 47 million hectolitres, exceeding the 2018-2022 average. However, the ministry report has now said it is not certain if France will reach this target.

The issue? Mildew, which was sparked by recurrent rainy weather and high temperatures in May and June. Part algae, part fungus, it spread to the vines' leaves and then to the grapes.

At the end of July, the Gironde Chamber of Agriculture even said that “90% of vines had been affected, more or less”, according to its sample of 86 vineyards. The Agreste report said that the mildew had particularly affected red Merlot grapes and that - on average - as much as 30% of the region’s crops may have been ruined.

A lack of production will necessarily have knock-on effects on the price of bottles on supermarket and producer shelves.

“We’ve never seen such damage here in Bordeaux,” said Stéphane Gabard, president of the AOC Bordeaux union, to France 3. “Most of the department has been affected. The production of Bordeaux wine will, therefore, once again, drop.”

He said that the damage varied from “a few per cent” to “100% of production” depending on the area, and blamed climate change for the problems.

“This year in Gironde, we haven’t had an oceanic climate as usual,” he said. “We have had an almost subtropical climate with high temperatures and very significant rainfall.

“The vine’s leaves stayed wet for most of the day. These are ideal conditions in which mildew can develop. This isn’t due to farmers who have treated their vines badly. It’s really due to climate change, and atmospheric conditions that have caused this damage.”

Mr Gabard is now calling on the government to compensate farmers who have been affected, especially as insurance companies have said they cannot cover the losses, as mildew is not considered to be a natural disaster (catastrophe naturelle). He said: “We’re asking for national support to intervene.”

It comes after the Bordeaux region has suffered significant weather issues over the past few years. Since 2017, it has been hit by issues including frost and hail.

It is hoped that the mildew will stop spreading so quickly now, given the drier weather since July and the grapes becoming ripe and ready for harvest, the Ministry of Agriculture said.

The full extent of the losses is set to become apparent after the harvest, which takes place between mid-August and September depending on the grape and region.

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