The Washington PostThe Washington Post

France has too much wine. It's paying millions to destroy the leftovers.

By Caroline Anders

26 Aug 2023 · 3 min read

informed Summary

  1. France is set to destroy enough wine to fill more than 100 Olympic-size swimming pools, due to a surplus caused by increased production costs and a drop in consumption. This move is expected to cost the nation around $216 million.

France is about to destroy enough wine to fill more than 100 Olympic-size swimming pools. And it's going to cost the nation about $216 million.

Ruining so much wine may sound ludicrous, but there's a straightforward economic reason this is happening: Making wine is getting more expensive due in part to recent world events, and people are drinking less of it. That's left some producers with a surplus that they can't price low enough to make a profit. Now, some of France's most famous wine-producing regions, like Bordeaux, are struggling.

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