Third of French wine lost after rare cold snaps devastate vines

Unseasonal frost is agricultural disaster of 21st century' as ice after warm weather decimates grape harvests

At least a third of French wine production worth almost 2bn (1.7bn) in sales will be lost this year after rare freezing temperatures devastated many vines and fruit crops across France, raising concerns over the climate crisis.

This is probably the greatest agricultural catastrophe of the beginning of the 21st century," the French agriculture minister, Julien Denormandie, said this week as the government declared an agricultural disaster" and began preparing emergency financial measures.