French wine harvest ends on a high
The end of October is, for the vast majority of French wine makers the time of year when all the grapes are picked and the output is forecast. France’s Ministry for Agriculture expects output to climb to a five-year high after a wet August left the grapes particularly big ripe. This means that the volume of wine produced this year might rise by as much as 11% to 50.2 million hectolitres.
According to the Ministry, the dry September and October which followed a wet August played a big part in limiting the damage in most regions caused by the ‘botrytis’ fungus which can lead to a grey mould on grapes. However the report by Ministry of Agriculture also pointed out that in the growing regions on the Atlantic coast, including Bordeaux, losses from the fungus were higher than usual.
“Harvests unfolded in better conditions at the end of the period, helped by clement weather,” the ministry said. “They were completed at the end of October for the final plots.”
In the Gironde region that includes Bordeaux, “the harvest at times required a rigorous sorting,” according to the report.
The amount of wines produced with a protected designation of origin, known by their French abbreviation AOP, may climb 7.2 percent to 23.3 million hectolitres, the ministry said. Makers of protected-origin wines generally speaking face restrictions regarding the amount of grapes or volume of wine they can produce per hectare (2.47 acres) of vineyard.
For wine tasting fans and wine holiday enthusiasts, visiting any of the large wine producing chateaux is an amazing experience. If you happened to be in Bordeaux or various other renowned wine producing regions during September and August, you would have no doubt found the experience particularly wonderful. With a blend of stunning views, world class wine and top quality food the French wine producing regions are exceptional places to visit, and now thanks to a good harvest there is plenty of wine to go around.