Hot weather in France could mean bad news for the country’s wine harvest.
This is France’s third-hottest July since the 90s and they have received about half the rain that they usually do during the summer, the Local reports. This has caused the grapes to grow much less than normal. The smaller size of the grapes will not affect the quality of the wine, but it will affect how much can be produced. Despite the undesirable size of the grapes, the vines are actually very healthy because the heat dried up any dampness that could cause fungus and other diseases.
The outlook doesn’t seem to be too good, but nothing is set in stone quite yet.
It’s the last few weeks of the harvest that are the most decisive. The results could be drastically different if they suddenly get a torrential downpour or if they don’t see even one raindrop. Virginie Larramona from the Association of Grands Crus Classés of Saint-Emilion says, “we won’t really know anything until the end of August.”
First California wildfires make wine “unpalatable” and now this. It’s not a great year for winos.