French winemakers will harvest fewer grapes this year than in 2007 because spring frost hurt early buds and some growers uprooted vines to combat overproduction.
The smaller harvest in France comes at a time when California winemakers believe that the state's wine grape crop could be 15% smaller than last year.
Total production in France will probably fall about 5% to 1.2 billion gallons, according to Paris-based industry group Viniflhor. That's "much lower" than the average harvest in the last five years, Viniflhor said in a statement on its website.
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.
