24/01/2024
Like every year, La Revue du Vin de France rewards those who bring wine to life. This year it's Claire Villars Lurton who has been named 'Winemaker of the Year', for all her work and her commitment to biodynamic viticulture. At her Ferrière and Haut-Bages Libéral estates, she has been practising chemical-free viticulture for over 20 years, preferring to focus on improving biodiversity through minimum tillage, the use of plant cover and agroforestry. Well done!
19/11/2023
With a production of 20 million hectoliters of appellation wines (AOP), the 2023 harvest in France was normally abundant, on a par with those of 2022, 2020 or 2018, but not all regions were on the same footing.
Comparison 2023/average 2018 to 2022, source French Ministry of Agriculture :
+ 63% in Jura, after an already abundant harvest in 2022 (+23%),
+ 52% in Champagne, where reserve stocks are planned to stabilize prices,
+ 20% in Burgundy-Beaujolais, volume comparable to 2018's record,
+15% in Val de Loire, a return to abundance after two weak years in 2021 and 2022,
• average (between +5% and -5%) in Corsica, Languedoc-Roussillon, Savoie, Rhône Valley and Provence,
- 16% in Bordeaux, due to mildew attacks in June and July,
- 29% in the South-West, where mildew, powdery mildew and drought were combined. The Cahors appellation was the worst affected, with barely half a harvest.
---------------------------
Worldwide, production in 2023 was at its lowest level since 1961 (!), enabling France to regain its world leadership ahead of Italy, Spain and the U.S.A.
Comparison 2023/average 2018 to 2022, source I.O.V.M. on 29 countries except China (expected early 2024) :
+ 14% in New Zealand,
+ 12% in Portugal,
+ 9% in Russia,
• average (between +5% and -5%) in Romania, U.S.A., France and Germany,
- 8% in South Africa,
- 13% in Italy,
- 18% in Chile,
- 19% in Spain,
- 22% in Australia,
- 29% Argentina,
- 50% in Greece.
02/10/2023
Ukrainian winegrowers are as resilient as the rest of their people.
Like Mrs Tsybak, director of the Beykush estate, located on the Black Sea halfway between Odessa and Mykolaïv:
« Beykush is a family-run vineyard covering just 13 hectares and located two kilometres from the occupied zone. When war broke out last year, we were uncertain about our viticultural prospects and devoted ourselves to maintaining the vineyards. September 2022 produced high quality grapes thanks to dry, warm weather, with no problems in the vines. Based on last year's success, we plan to increase our production by 20% this year, thanks to two additional hectares that are reaching maturity, despite the missiles flying overhead ».
However, there are now fewer than 100 active winegrowing operations in Ukraine, compared to 180 18 months ago.