France's wine industry is on course for its worst harvest in three decades, with government estimates projecting output of just under 34 million hectolitres — down 6% on last year and 17% below the five-year average. The country's statistics agency Agreste attributed the shortfall primarily to record-breaking summer heat and drought, which caused sunburn, wilting, and defoliation across vineyards nationwide; Champagne was hardest hit, facing a harvest nearly half the size of last year's, while Burgundy and Jura also recorded severe losses. The forecast adds to mounting pressures on France's wine sector, which is already grappling with falling domestic consumption and the impact of US tariffs on exports.