Europe's wine heavyweights face another tough harvest

France, Italy and Spain, Europe's three wine-production heavyweights, are all facing challenging 2026 harvests, with heat, drought and efforts to control oversupply keeping production well below recent levels.

France is now forecast to produce 34.9 million hectolitres, its lowest output this century. That is 2% below 2025 and 14% below the 2021–25 average, despite an upgrade to the forecast following better-than-expected yields in Languedoc-Roussillon.

Italy remains Europe's biggest producer, but output is expected to fall 7.2% to around 41.1 million hectolitres. Dry conditions have contributed, while some regions have deliberately reduced yields amid high stocks and weak demand.

Spain is also heading for a relatively small crop, with industry estimates around 34 million hectolitres of wine and must. Extreme heat brought an exceptionally early harvest and reduced yields, although grape quality is reported to be good.