They don't want another loan. They want a white year
Jérôme Despey asks Wednesday's heat-aid plan for a banking, fiscal and social année blanche, not another BPI loan. CNAOC: France will not return to 47 million hl this year or next.
They don't want another loan. They want a white year.
Jérôme Despey, who chairs FranceAgriMer's wine council, told Vitisphere the 2026 crop is small and growers are exhausted. On 3 September the government presents a heat-aid plan for farms hit by the canicules. Despey wants a real année blanche — banking, fiscal and social — that actually hits cashflow. "There is no need to announce new loans in viticulture, but a real action that would weigh on treasuries."
Same day, CNAOC president Jérôme Bauer: France has taken about 50,000 hectares out of production in five years. "We will not return to 47 million hectolitres. Not this year, not next. It's over." The state's first 2026 crop estimate was delayed to 8 September, at the trade's request, so a number doesn't rattle the market.
A loan is next year's problem with interest. A white year is a pause on the bills so the cellar can still open.
Mini-concept: a smaller France is not a plan if the remaining farms still can't pay September.
A flavoured can has no bank. These growers want the state to stop the clock, not add a line of credit.
Remember: Wednesday's heat plan, and they asked for a white year, not another loan.
Source: Vitisphere