FX.co ★ Hot weather to cut wine output in France and Italy

Scorching heat waves in France have seriously harmed wine production. Jerome Despey, the first vice president of France's largest farm union FNSEA, said that the damage caused by the hot weather would lead to lower wine output this year in the south of the country overall. In general, hot weather is favorable for grape growth. However, abnormal temperatures have a negative impact on yields. This summer brought heatwaves sweeping across the world. According to the forecasts, the fall in output is expected at between 10% and 20%. In the last days of summer, temperatures peaked at 42 degrees Celsius in the wine-growing Rhone Valley. "This year grape berries concentration is happening late and this will boost the quality and the cost of wine," winemaker Jerome Volle said. "The heatwave is not bad if it does not last very long, however, it burns the grapes a little so we lose a little production as winegrowers," he added. At the same time, Italy also suffers from hot weather. According to the forecasts of the local association of agricultural producers Coldiretti, wine production in the country will decrease by 14% by year-end. This year may bring one of the worst wine harvests on record. Thus, collectors should definitely pay attention to this year's Italian wines against shrinking output. Most likely, France may outperform Italy, currently the world’s largest wine-producing country, in terms of wine shipments this year.