A handout photo made available by Gironde Departmental Fire and Rescue Service shows flames engulfing a road as a wildfire spreads in Lege-Cap-Ferret, south-western France, on July 23. The French wine industry may face a tough year. Photo by Damien Renbert/EPA
July 31 (UPI) -- Wildfires in France have caused damage to homes, businesses and forests, and now they threaten to damage the French wine industry.
Authorities ordered the evacuation of nearly 60,000 people from the area near Bordeaux, France, where vineyards produce about 680 million bottles per year, according to Vineyards Bordeaux, an investment advising firm.
"The grapes right now are right between when they turn from green to red, and that's the worst time for smoke to hit them," Ray Isle, executive wine editor for Food & Wine, told CBS News. He added that if the smoke stays and sticks to the grapes, "You're gonna have wine that tastes like licking an ashtray."
In 2020, the California wine industry lost about $3.7 billion from wildfires, The Wine Institute reported.
