Bergerac Wine Harvest Arrives Early With Low Yields Amid Heat and Drought

The Bergerac wine region in southwestern France is experiencing an early and challenging 2025 harvest. Local growers and experts report that the season began weeks ahead of schedule, with white grape picking starting as early as August 25 and finishing by the first week of September. This timing is unusual, drawing comparisons to the famously hot and dry summer of 2003.

François Ballouhey, an advisor at the Dordogne Chamber of Agriculture, explained that the early harvest was driven by intense heat in August and a lack of rainfall. Some late August showers helped certain vineyards recover slightly, but overall, the weather pushed ripening forward at a rapid pace. Red Merlot grapes and sweet white varieties began harvest in the week of September 8, while late-harvest dessert wines are still waiting for optimal conditions.

Despite the favorable weather for grape health—cool nights and hot days have produced healthy fruit with promising aromatic qualities—yields are expected to be low. Ballouhey noted that this continues a trend of small harvests in recent years. He declined to give exact figures but confirmed that yields will fall below official quotas. The main disease threat, downy mildew, was kept under control this year, so quality is not in question; it is quantity that concerns producers.

In Monbazillac, a subregion known for its sweet wines, Guillaume Barou, president of the local cooperative winery, echoed these concerns. He described the 2025 harvest as historically early due to three months without rain and high temperatures. Rosé and dry white grapes were picked starting August 25—the earliest ever recorded in Monbazillac. Harvesting for sweet wines began on September 9, mirroring the pattern seen in 2003.

Barou highlighted that yields for white wines are expected to be between 15 and 20 hectoliters per hectare, compared to a more typical 30 hectoliters. This shortfall comes at a time when demand for Bergerac’s fresh white wine styles is strong both domestically and internationally. “We are heading toward excellent quality but without the volume to match,” Barou said. “It’s very worrying because we’re on a growing market with wine profiles that people like.”

The limited supply is likely to affect pricing and distribution. The price for Monbazillac wine is expected to rise from its current level of €3,600 per barrel, though Barou anticipates only a moderate increase. More significantly, he warned that not all customers may be able to secure allocations this year. “We will have to prioritize and serve those who have been loyal partners,” he said.

As the harvest continues into mid-September for late-ripening varieties, Bergerac producers are preparing for difficult decisions about how to allocate their limited stocks. The combination of high quality and low quantity is forcing wineries to rethink their commercial strategies at a time when consumer interest in their wines remains high.