French winemakers have issued a stark warning over the future of their industry, calling for urgent government intervention amid a deepening crisis. Ahead of a key meeting with the agriculture minister, vineyard owners say a combination of falling sales, punitive tariffs, and catastrophic weather has pushed as many as one in five winegrowers close to collapse.
Jean-Marie Fabre, president of the independent winemakers’ syndicate, described the situation as “dramatic,” arguing that without swift help, a significant portion of France’s wine community could be lost. He warned that inaction would send a message that the wine and spirits industry—long held as one of France’s economic pillars—is no longer valued.
Over the weekend, thousands of winegrowers demonstrated in Béziers, in the country’s south, demanding a rescue plan. They pointed to a disastrous string of factors that have battered their livelihoods: years of heatwaves, hailstorms, and the worst grape harvests in seven decades, coupled with soaring production costs.
On the global front, winemakers have faced headwinds as well. The 15 percent tariffs introduced by former U.S. President Donald Trump continue to bite, while demand abroad has shrunk. Exports to China, a key market, have dwindled, with Bordeaux’s grand cru shipments hitting their lowest levels in a decade. Meanwhile, China imposed a 32 percent duty on many EU wine-based spirits, exempting only a few major players.
At a meeting earlier this month, Fabre pressed Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard with a list of industry demands, hoping Monday’s crisis talks will yield concrete support. Among the proposed measures: funds to uproot struggling vines and convert surplus wine into biofuel. Under an existing compensation plan, vintners receive €4,000 per hectare for vine removal, and further rounds of vine-pulling are being demanded.
Winegrowers are also calling for France to tap into the European crisis reserve—a fund they say helped Portugal support similar distillation programs. But their appeals, they say, have so far gone unanswered.
According to a survey by the national agricultural body FranceAgriMer, up to 20 percent of winegrowers are considering shutting down, a move that could cost as many as 100,000 jobs. That would threaten the very fabric of France’s wine and spirits sector, which turns over an estimated €92 billion annually and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs.
As the crisis meeting looms, Fabre – a fourth-generation winemaker himself – made a stark appeal: “This is the last chance,” he said. “Either we get support, or people will have to shut down.”
