At the Les Trois Toits estate near the city of Nantes, this year's scant grape harvest leaves a bitter taste for 52-year-old winemaker Vincent Barbier.
The first six months of 2024 have been very wet with little sunshine. Mildew has seriously damaged Barbier's crops, turning the vines' leaves dark brown and destroying the grapes due to the fungus.
The bad weather has walloped wine production in France, with output expected to be 39.3 million hectoliters this year, down 18% from last year, the agriculture ministry recently said.
The figure is below an initial range of 40 million-43 million projected last month.
REUTERS VIDEO