French Winery in Aquitaine (© Photowitch | Dreamstime.com)

It was just last week ago that the Los Angeles Times reported that Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were in short supply in California due to poor weather conditions. California winemakers “…believe that the state's wine grape crop could be 15% smaller than last year.”

This week the paper reports that French winemakers may be facing a grape shortage of their own. Wine production in France is expected to fall by about 5%. Only some of France’s wine region’s will face the anticipated shortage, according to the L.A. Times:

Vineyards in Bordeaux, Provence and other southern regions were particularly affected after buds that had developed early thanks to mild winter temperatures froze at the outset of spring. Bourgogne, Alsace, Champagne and other northern areas were spared since vines mature later there because of a colder climate.

Poor weather has played a role in the shortage of wine grapes in France, but the L.A. Times article explains that the shortage is also partly due to the fact that, “…some growers uprooted vines to combat overproduction.”

If you’d like to read the Los Angeles Times article cited above go to: French harvest of wine grapes expected to fall