The 2024 Bordeaux wine harvest was the smallest since 1991, according to the Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB). This historically low yield is attributed to the combined effects of vine pull-out schemes and widespread vine diseases.
French customs figures indicate a production volume of 3.3m hl in 2024, roughly half the volume of the 2004 harvest, which reached approximately 6.7m hl.
This makes the 2024 harvest even smaller than the challenging vintages of 2013 and 2017, both of which yielded less than 4m hl due to adverse weather conditions. It also falls significantly short of the 2021 and 2023 harvests, which were impacted by frost and downy mildew, respectively. Last year's harvest yielded 3.8m hl, 14% more than 2024.
Sharp decline in Bordeaux vineyards
The total vineyard area in the Bordeaux appellation, the largest in France, has also reached a record low, falling below the 100,000-ha mark for the first time in 40 years. Currently, vineyards cover 94,600 ha (ca. 250,000 ac), a significant decrease from over 120,000 ha (ca. 300,000 ac) at the turn of 2004/2005. The area has shrunk by 8.3% in the past year alone.
"We have not suffered this; it is a product of our own will."
However, Christophe Chateau, communications director for the CIVB, emphasized to AFP: "We have not suffered this; it is a product of our own will." This decline is largely due to vine pull-out schemes implemented to address oversupply and market challenges, with significant reductions in vineyard area seen in the previous year and further reductions expected in 2025.
Prices expected to rise as supply tightens
The shrinking vineyard area and historically low harvest in Bordeaux are shifting the balance between supply and demand, potentially leading to higher prices. CIVB's Christophe Chateau noted that 3.5m hl of Bordeaux wine were sold last year, exceeding the current production of 3.3m hl.
Bordeaux merchants anticipate that this trend will result in dwindling inventories and ultimately drive prices upward. However, the threat of US tariffs looms over these projections. The US market imported €340m worth of Bordeaux wines in 2024, making it a crucial export destination for the region. SP
