It has been a punishing summer in France. Heatwaves, drought and forest fires have driven away tourists and made life hell for firefighters. The nation’s winemakers have also had an anxious time of it, but there is now cautious optimism that the exceptional weather may work in their favour.

Since late May, France has been swept by a succession of heatwaves as well as a series of destructive wildfires. The worst of these was in the Gironde, west of Bordeaux, which lost 42,000 hectares to flames. Swathes of Provence have also been ravaged by fires in recent weeks.

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As a result of the fires and the heat, France’s Ministry of Agriculture decided to postpone its annual grape harvest forecast from early August to early September.

The announcement was welcomed by the industry. Jérôme Despey, a winegrower in the Hérault department and the vice president of FNSEA, France’s biggest agricultural union, said: ‘Due to the heatwave, drought, thunderstorms, and wildfires, harvest forecasts – which are based on observations and analyses conducted........

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