French wine -goers say fire damage to vineyards is enormous

(Bloomberg) – French winemakers saw catastrophic damage to vineyards almost ready to be harvested to the worst fires in more than 70 years through the south of the country. Franck Saillan, secretary of the Aude Wingrowers Syndicate, said in an interview on Thursday. There has not yet been a preliminary assessment of losses, but a large number of vineyards have been destroyed according to Saillan, along with equipment and buildings. Only ten days before the harvest in the region began, the grapes could no longer be used due to smoking damage and traces of chemical fire retardants sprayed by firefighters, he said. The Aude division produces about three million hectoliters of wine annually, half of which is red. “We’re going to take a survey on the hectares of vineyards that are affected, but it will be enormous,” he said. Wine goers will meet with the Minister of Agriculture next week to assess the damage and discuss government assistance, he said. French firefighters spend a third day to get the fires under control. More than 160 square kilometers (62 square miles), a larger area than Paris, were burned, the French authorities said. One person was killed and at least 13 people, including 11 firefighters, were injured. Saillan called on the government to provide assistance to the wine goers, especially in cases where insurance normally does not cover the crop losses due to fires. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou told reporters on Thursday that the government will watch insurance companies as part of the efforts to support those affected by the wildfires this week. “Help should be provided to those affected, support to the victims, should be done with the insurance companies checks to understand the situation,” he said. A spokesman for French insurance group France Assourers said it was too early to give an estimate of the damage, as the fire had not yet been completely under control. Despite the extent of the fire, the cost to insurers is likely to be manageable, as the forest in private ownership is often not insured. Insurers have so far only seen a handful of claims, a person in the industry said and asked not to appoint a commercial sensitive information. -With help from Claudia Cohen. More stories like these are available on Bloomberg.com © 2025 Bloomberg LP