Reuters reports that France is heading for one of its smallest wine harvests in three decades, with the agriculture ministry forecasting 33.9 million hectolitres for 2026, around 4.5 billion bottles, 6% below 2025 and 17% below the 2021 to 2025 average. Severe summer heat and drought damaged vines and reduced yields, with Champagne production expected to plunge 49% year on year, Bourgogne-Beaujolais down by about a third, and the Loire and Charentes also declining. Bordeaux is forecast to rebound by 10% from last year’s weak crop after late-August rain, although production remains well below its recent average, while the overall French vineyard area has fallen 2.5% amid oversupply and declining consumption.