Mild cough, or pre-flu symptoms? In 2023, the price of vines “suddenly” fell by 6.4% in the Charentes, land of cognac eaux-de-vie under protected designation of origin (AOP). The last decline in this same indicator dates back to 2001 (-1.1%). The last six years, driven by a euphoric climate, had recorded annual increases of between 3 and 8%. These data come from the latest barometer from the National Federation of Land Development and Rural Establishment Companies (Safer). Placed under the supervision of the Ministries of Agriculture and Finance, these establishments regularly dissect the price of land, meadows and forests as well as those of vines.
If their average price remains “stable” in Charente (60,400 euros per hectare), the situation is different in Charente-Maritime where this indicator drops by 13% compared to 2022 (52,900 euros per hectare). Across the two Charentes, 2.31% of the surface area changed hands for an average price of around 56,700 euros per hectare, note the Safer. Or the equivalent of 1,900 ha sold (-9.2% compared to 2022) in the heart of a vineyard of more than 87,000 ha.
A year of irregular activity
In Charente-Maritime, the number of transactions decreased by 5% in one year (-34% in Charente). Faced with the fall in shipments in Asia as in the United States, the National Interprofessional Cognac Bureau (BNIC) chose to reduce the quotas for new plantations to 100 ha in 2024. In 2023, this same quota was still 3,129 ha , after years of slow expansion. A simple “pause” before “relaunch” then explained the BNIC, displaying “great confidence in the future”.
Contacted by “Le Parisien”, the same BNIC this time evokes “a readjustment of the value of land which had experienced marked increases due to extraordinary acquisition operations during periods of record shipments of Cognac”. The inter-professional organization which brings together winegrowers and merchants perceives “a normalization of prices announced by Safer for several months already”. The year 2024, continues the BNIC, “will be a year of irregular activity for the sector, but the medium and long term prospects are confirmed”. Enough to pass the pill?
