It is the home stretch for the French grape harvest. After two sluggish years in terms of volumes, French table grapes have returned to more substantial production this season. But consumption has been slow, and the strong presence of imported grapes has weighed on the market. Faced with massive promotions driven by supermarkets, players of the sector met on October 10th to revitalize the last few weeks of the campaign and start planning for 2026.
© AOP Raisin de Table On October 10th, under the chairmanship of the Vaucluse Departmental Director of Territories, a meeting was held of representatives from the grape production (French AOP), marketing and distribution sectors, and the Interfel PACA regional committee.
A dynamic first half of October
Overall, French production stood out this year for its quantity and quality. "Taste quality was top-notch, both in terms of sugar content and aroma," explains Alexandra Lacoste, director of the Table Grape Producers' Association (AOP). However, the rain in September disrupted marketing. "We had to start cold storage earlier than planned because the grapes that had not yet been harvested were too fragile to be marketed." Prices turned out to be lower than in previous years. "Consumption was difficult in September, but that is a fairly general phenomenon. It is a real shame, because the quality and volumes were good this year." The market was fairly dynamic in the first half of October, before slowing down again due to the school holidays.
Major promotions on imported grapes
But the main problem this year is the competition from imported grapes. Against a backdrop of sluggish consumption, the first part of the season was disrupted by an unusually high proportion of special offers, mainly from Italy and, to a lesser extent, from Spain. "Over the last two years, French production volumes have dropped due to the vagaries of the weather. This year, however, Italian supply has been more abundant (mainly in Puglia) and offered at very attractive prices by distributors. Faced with sluggish consumption throughout September, supermarkets focused on price to attract consumers." This is a position that French production, which is less competitive in terms of production costs, finds difficult to match. The result is a reduced shelf space for grapes from France's two main production areas - the southwest and southeast - despite the efforts of the Table Grape AOP and Interfel, who pointed out at the start of the campaign that French volumes had finally returned to normal levels after several years of deficits.
"The retail chains have listened to us"
The operators of the sector (producers, distributors, and marketers) met on October 10th in order to try and give a "second wind" to this last part of the campaign. "The idea behind the meeting was first and foremost to exchange views with retailers and to emphasize that this season will be later in terms of volumes and will therefore last until the end of November. So it is vital to keep the lines open for the French origin," explains Alexandra Lacoste, director of the Table Grape AOP. "The point is not to keep Italian products off the shelves, but to have a diversified offer so that consumers have a choice and an attractive offer from all origins. Last year, for example, we alternated between the Muscat and Italia varieties. At this meeting on October 10th, professionals of the sector were "listened to by the retailers present, and information was circulated at the national level thanks to the presence of the interprofession."
The meeting was also an opportunity to prepare the 2026 campaign, to ensure that retail communication strategies are better aligned with the realities of production and volume inputs.
A radio campaign to boost consumption
At the request of the Table Grape AOP, a radio campaign for the general public, financed by Interfel, ran from September 18th to 27th on several national stations, as well as on digital platforms, in order to encourage consumption. The aim is to reach 78 million contacts and raise the profile of French grapes among consumers.
For more information:
AOP Raisin de Table
Maison de l'Agriculture, Site Agroparc
84912 Avignon cedex 9
Phone: +33(0)4 90 27 12 64
[email protected]
