FrenchDuck UK - Latest

According to the French Ministry of Agriculture, the grape harvest in France will be significantly down on previous years in terms of volume - much as reported from Guy Cuisset at Chateau Grinou in Bergerac and others. The 2007 vintage in France is very uneven in terms of fruit ripening in many regions, but there are however a few areas which are not affected by this, notably the Languedoc, Rhone and Provence.

Overall it looks something like 15% down on the previous year, and over 40% lower than the best of recent years (1999).

Low volumes does not necessarily mean low quality - and indeed it could mean that this year’s vintage will be one of the best in some regions - e.g. the Rhône.

What is almost inevitable though is that prices will rise for the 2007s for many appellations.