The Bordeaux vineyard, France’s leading AOC vineyard, experienced its lowest harvest since 1991 in 2024.
The reduced harvest was attributed to subsidised vine pull schemes and low yields due to weather conditions, according to the inter-professional body on Friday. Figures from the customs administration showed that Bordeaux winemakers produced 3.3 million hectolitres last year, down from 3.8 million in 2023, a 14% decrease in production.
This significant decline is mainly due to the reduction of vineyard area from 103,000 to 95,000 hectares through two successive vine pull plans, reducing the cultivated area to its lowest since 1985, far from the 125,000 hectares at the start of the 2000s. Additionally, frost, mildew—a destructive fungus caused by heavy spring rains—and coulure, a disease affecting flower fertilisation brought on by June rains, impacted vineyard yields, which dropped to 35.1 hectolitres per hectare from 37.2 in 2023.
Despite the poor harvest, the Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB) hopes it will help address the overproduction that has plagued the region in recent years by emptying cellars and boosting bulk wine prices.
