The ongoing vineyard uprooting in the Gironde will push the vineyard area in France’s largest wine-growing region below the symbolic threshold of 100,000 ha/250,000 ac with the first phase of the uprooting process. This was reported by French wine trade magazine Vitisphere. In 2023, the vineyard area stood at 103,000 ha—roughly equivalent to the entire vineyard area of Germany. A total of up to 9,500 ha are planned for uprooting, with subsidies of €6,000 per hectare.
The first phase will see the uprooting of about 7,000 ha. Vineyards covering 5,000 ha have already submitted payment applications. It is not known how many growers have uprooted or intend to uproot without submitting an application. For the second round next year, about 1,200 ha have already been registered, meaning that, as of now, about 8,500 ha of the 9,500 ha will be covered. However, winemakers can still register for the second phase until March 31, 2025. The French state has allocated €38m for the renaturalization of fallow land, while the industry organization CIVB has committed €19m for agricultural diversification.
In 2019, the vineyard area of Bordeaux was still 115,000 ha, and in 2005, it was 125,000 ha. KA
