French Wine Harvest 2025: Smaller National Crop, but Burgundy and Jura Shine
France’s winegrowers are heading into the 2025 vintage with mixed fortunes. The country’s agriculture ministry confirmed on 9 September 2025 that the national wine harvest is forecast at 37.4 million hectolitres (mhl)—a modest 3% increase on 2024, but still 13% below the five-year average.
The revision marks a significant downgrade from earlier summer predictions of 40–42.5 mhl, as heat and drought in August cut yields in several regions, particularly Languedoc-Roussillon in the south and Alsace in the north-east.
Regional Winners and Losers
The picture across France is far from uniform.
Burgundy is set for one of the strongest rebounds. After the small 2024 harvest, volumes in 2025 are expected to jump by around 45%, providing welcome relief for producers and enthusiasts.
Jura is bouncing back dramatically from last year’s frost-hit vintage. Output could surge by more than 200% year-on-year, placing it well above the region’s five-year average.
Loire Valley production is forecast to rise by 26%, despite hailstorms and localized drought.
Bordeaux volumes should hold steady versus 2024 but remain roughly 15% below average, while Champagne has enjoyed favorable growing conditions and an early harvest that raised optimism for quality.
Alsace faces a projected 11% decline in production, while Languedoc-Roussillon is set for a 5% drop, compounded by France’s most devastating wildfire in 70 years that scorched parts of the Corbières in August.
Beaujolais is expected to deliver its lowest yield since 2012.
Early Harvests Signal a Warming Trend
Hot summer conditions accelerated grape ripening, triggering record-early harvests across multiple regions.
In St-Émilion, Château Troplong Mondot began picking on 28 August, the earliest in its history.
Alsace also reported its earliest harvest on record, beginning 25 August.
In the Rhône Valley, harvests started around ten days earlier than in 2024, with growers upbeat on balance and quality.
Champagne’s harvest also kicked off ahead of the 10-year average, with vineyards reported in “remarkable condition,” according to the Comité Champagne.
Producers in several regions expressed high hopes for quality, likening conditions in places such as Bordeaux to the successful 2022 vintage.
Structural Challenges: Vine Uprooting and Oversupply
Beyond weather extremes, structural change is also reshaping France’s vineyard map. The agriculture ministry confirmed that more than 20,000 hectares of vines have been uprooted since the 2024 harvest, including 8,000 hectares in Bordeaux and over 10,000 in Languedoc-Roussillon.
These government-backed grubbing-up schemes are designed to address oversupply and economic pressures but inevitably weigh on national production potential.
Outlook for the 2025 Vintage
Despite a smaller crop than initially hoped, the 2025 harvest offers a partial rebound from 2024’s weather-stricken yields. Burgundy, Jura, and the Loire Valley are the standouts, while Champagne and Bordeaux maintain cautious optimism for both quality and market stability.
Yet the national figures highlight the longer-term challenges: climate volatility, structural vineyard reductions, and regional disparities. For wine lovers, that means fewer bottles from some French appellations—but potentially exceptional wines where conditions aligned.
