According to France’s Ministry of Agriculture, 5,418 growers applied for aid to uproot a total of 27,461 ha, with 1,300 producers managing 8,700 ha choosing to exit viticulture entirely.
The compensation program, offering €4,000 per hectare, will cost €109.8m. This initiative is part of a government plan that aims to rebalance wine production and consumption. While France had initially sought €120m in EU funding to support the uprooting of 30,000 ha, approved in October, the final figures fall short by about €10m and 2,750 ha. Affected growers have until June 2, 2025, to complete the uprooting and submit payment requests.
Regional disparities in uprooting
An analysis published by industry platform Vitisphere highlights stark regional differences in the vineyard uprooting program. Bordeaux and Languedoc-Roussillon dominate the applications. The Loire Valley, the Southwest, and the Rhône Valley are affected to a lesser extent. The departments of Gironde, Gard, and Aude are particularly impacted, accounting for nearly 50% of the uprooting applications.
By contrast, western French wine regions, including Champagne, Burgundy, Savoie, Jura, and Corsica, remain largely unaffected. Tarn (AOC Gaillac, IGP Côtes du Tarn) faces the highest proportional loss, with 10% of its vineyard area uprooted, followed by Lot-et-Garonne (8%) and Dordogne (5%).
Future challenges
The French wine industry anticipates the need for further measures. It estimates that up to 100,000 ha of permanent or temporary uprooting may be necessary to restore market equilibrium between supply and demand. This would affect 13% of France’s total vineyard area, which was 789,000 ha in 2023. This issue is expected to feature prominently in discussions by the EU’s High-Level Group on Wine Policy. SP
