France is expected to produce around 15 percent less wine in 2003 than in recent years but quality should be excellent after months of extreme weather, the farm ministry said today.
The ministry's statistics office SCEES pegged 2003 wineoutput at 48.06 million hectolitres (1.06 billion Imp gallons),compared to a five-year average of 56.85 million and down from51.97 million in 2002.
"This year's weather conditions have strongly diminishedpotential and led to very low harvest estimates. The 2003harvest should be the smallest since 1991, when we had a verysevere spring frost," SCEES said in its September report.
Hailstorms and a brief spring frost this year were followedby the hottest temperatures in 60 years as a summer heatwavecooked much of Europe, drying out grapes and causing earlymaturity, SCEES said.
However, quality promised to be good across all vineyards,with a high degree of alcohol and low acidity, it added,confirming the expectations of wine growers during the summer.
Output of high-quality appellation wines was seen down ninepercent from 2002 or down 14 percent against the average of thelast five years at 21.82 million hectolitres.
French wine growers began harvesting in August - theearliest in years - and have been betting that temperatures ofup to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) will haveconcentrated sugars, leading to a flavourful crop.