Bordeaux Faces Loss of 20% of Vineyards by 2025 as Wine Crisis Deepens

In the heart of France’s Bordeaux region, the wine industry is facing a crisis that is reshaping both the economy and the landscape. The Gironde department, known as the largest wine-producing area in France, is experiencing an unprecedented downturn. In 2025, estimates suggest that 20 percent of Bordeaux’s vineyards will disappear, a change that is hitting the Entre-deux-Mers area especially hard.

Entre-deux-Mers, located between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, has long been recognized for its extensive vineyards and its role in producing large volumes of wine. Over the past three years, this region has seen more vines uprooted than any other part of Gironde. The cause is a combination of falling wine consumption, shifting market demands, and a lack of adaptation to new national and global trends. Many local producers are now forced to remove their vines and consider new directions for their land.

Alain Monget, an elected official in Camblanes-et-Meynac and president of the Pôle territorial du Cœur Entre-deux-Mers, oversees five communities in this affected area. He describes how the landscape has changed dramatically since the start of government-supported vine removal programs. “The wine sector remains our main economic driver,” Monget says. “But for several years now, we’ve seen businesses disappear and vines being pulled up. These vineyards are not just about economics—they provide jobs and structure our territory. Now that we’re in crisis, it’s changing everything.”

Monget notes that seeing once-productive parcels turn into fallow land is difficult for many residents. The region’s identity is closely tied to its vineyards, and their loss is felt deeply. The current crisis raises questions about how the community will recover and what new uses might emerge for these lands.

Entre-deux-Mers is particularly vulnerable because its wine production model relied heavily on volume rather than high-value bottlings. Of the 20,000 hectares expected to be lost across Bordeaux, about one-third will come from this area—roughly 7,000 to 8,000 hectares. Many local producers sold their wine in bulk to merchants rather than bottling it themselves, making them more exposed to market fluctuations.

Another factor is demographic change. In the next decade, half of the vineyard owners in Entre-deux-Mers are expected to retire. With few successors willing or able to take over these family businesses, many vineyards are simply abandoned or uprooted.

The Pôle territorial du Cœur Entre-deux-Mers continues to advocate for maintaining agricultural use on these lands. Monget emphasizes the importance of keeping food production local and ensuring that former vineyard plots remain dedicated to agriculture rather than being left unused or converted for other purposes. However, there are competing pressures from environmental groups who favor renaturalization—returning land to a wild state after vines are removed.

Some experimental projects are underway in the region to find alternatives to traditional grape growing. These include planting olive trees, hemp, or developing vegetable farming. But such transitions take time and require investment and expertise that many former winegrowers do not have.

The crisis in Gironde reflects broader changes in global wine consumption patterns and highlights challenges faced by traditional agricultural regions as they adapt to new realities. For now, Entre-deux-Mers stands at a crossroads as it seeks ways to preserve its rural economy and cultural heritage amid sweeping changes in the world of wine.