France: French tourism, wine sectors reel in aftermath of devastating wildfires.

Shotlist Bordeaux, France - July 24-27, 2026 1. Various of wildfire burning, black smoke, fire trucks running Bordeaux, France - July 27, 2026 2. Various of displaced people in convention center-turned shelter Bordeaux, France - Recent 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean, local resident (partially overlaid with shot 4): "Near the Arcachon Bay and all these places, it's pretty terrible because most of the commerce, everything, the shops, they do most of their figures, they do it during the summer. If you remove that, how long can they last?" SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 4. Customers sitting in outdoor area of restaurant SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE 5. Various of pedestrians, customers sitting in outdoor areas of restaurants 6. Building, plaza 7. SOUNDBITE (French, dubbed in English) Peggy Plouhinec, managing director, Chateau Picque Caillou: "The warnings from authorities in Gironde have made tourists desert the region, and unfortunately, economically, it is very complicated for hotels and restaurants, and by extension, obviously, the chateaux, which is receiving far fewer people for visits and tourism." 8. Various of tourists walking, ferris wheel, sightseeing vehicles 9. SOUNDBITE (French, dubbed in English) Stephane Yves, technical manager, Chateau Picque Caillou: "The wines can become a little more alcoholic and a little less acidic. That was something we once tried to achieve in Bordeaux because the grapes sometimes lacked maturity. But today, it can be too much, so we have to work to maintain the balance of Bordeaux wines. That may mean harvesting a little earlier or changing the way we make the wine. We have to adapt." 10. Various of bottles of wine, glasses, grapes in vineyard 11. SOUNDBITE (French, dubbed in English) Aurelien Sebton, climate expert: "There won't be many places where we can say that we are climate secure. Global warming is global. Right now, it's in the southwest, but it will also be in the southeast of France, and there will be other problems. And it won't just be in France." Athens, Greece - July 2026 12. Various of wildfire, vehicles; black smoke rising 13. Helicopter flying, sunset Storyline The wildfires that devastated parts of southwest France have dealt a heavy blow to the region's tourism and wine sectors, even as the flames ease. For weeks, the fires have torn through forests, destroyed homes and forced hundreds of thousands to flee. Well beyond the fire line, businesses across Bordeaux and the Atlantic coast are reckoning with the economic fallout. Tourists heeded authorities' warnings to stay away during the peak of the emergency, and weeks later, the flow of visitors has yet to recover. For a region that depends on the summer season to sustain its hospitality and retail sectors, the disruption could hardly have come at a worse time. "Near the Arcachon Bay and all these places, it's pretty terrible because most of the commerce, everything, the shops, they do most of their figures, they do it during the summer. If you remove that, how long can they last?" said Jean, a Bordeaux resident. The impact has spread far beyond the fire zone. Peggy Plouhinec, managing director of Chateau Picque Caillou, a historic wine estate on the west side of Bordeaux, said that warnings issued during the emergency led to empty hotels, restaurants and tourist sites across the Gironde area. "The warnings from authorities in Gironde have made tourists desert the region, and unfortunately, economically, it is very complicated for hotels and restaurants, and by extension, obviously, the chateaux, which is receiving far fewer people for visits and tourism," said Plouhinec. For Bordeaux's wine industry, fewer visitors are just part of the problem. Weeks of searing heat and drought have begun to cause the grapes to change. Higher temperatures have accelerated ripening, raising alcohol levels and lowering acidity. The grapes are also smaller, which will reduce overall yields, even if quality remains strong. "The wines can become a little more alcoholic and a little less acidic. That was something we once tried to achieve in Bordeaux because the grapes sometimes lacked maturity. But today, it can be too much, so we have to work to maintain the balance of Bordeaux wines. That may mean harvesting a little earlier or changing the way we make the wine. We have to adapt," said Stephane Yves, technical manager of Chateau Picque Caillou. Yet even as the fire emergency recedes, the conditions that fueled it remain firmly in place. Prolonged drought, record-high temperatures, and tinder-dry vegetation continue to pose a persistent threat, and not only in Bordeaux. "There won't be many places where we can say that we are climate secure. Global warming is global. Right now, it's in the southwest, but it will also be in the southeast of France, and there will be other problems. And it won't just be in France,"