Applications flood Bordeaux land conversion plan after 20,000 hectares of vineyards disappeared

Applications have surged for a French pilot program aimed at reshaping land left behind by vineyard removals in Gironde, the department centered on Bordeaux, with 430 submissions covering 4,400 hectares across more than 6,500 plots, according to the Prefecture of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

The initiative, called “Foncier d’avenir en Gironde,” opened an expression-of-interest process from May 6 to June 7 to identify land made available after vines were uprooted in the region. French authorities and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional government launched the program with an initial fund of €20 million, in consultation with agricultural trade groups, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine land development agency, chambers of commerce, partner banks and local authorities.

The program is meant to respond to the crisis facing Gironde winegrowers by creating new options for farmers and encouraging individual and collective agricultural diversification projects. It is also part of a broader effort to restructure vineyards, prevent land abandonment and support economic and environmental transitions.

The scale of the response reflects the pressure on one of France’s most important wine regions. From 2023 to 2025, vineyard area in Gironde shrank by 20,000 hectares, and another uprooting plan has already been announced.

According to the prefecture, 1,856 hectares in the application pool came from the Langon district, 1,480 hectares from Libourne, 779 hectares from Blaye, 146 hectares from Lesparre-Médoc and 132 hectares from Bordeaux district.

The prefecture described the early response as a major success. It said 60% of applicants were owner-operators. The main reasons cited for applying included retirement, scaling back operations and ending activity for reasons other than retirement.

Officials are now reviewing the results of the call for interest to define action priorities in line with the program’s goals. The next meeting of the steering committee for “Foncier d’avenir en Gironde” is scheduled for July 7.

For the beverage sector, the program matters because Gironde is home to Bordeaux, one of the world’s most influential wine-producing areas. Continued vineyard contraction and efforts to redirect uprooted land could affect grape supply, regional production patterns and the long-term structure of one of France’s flagship wine economies.