Winegrowers fear catastrophe
Le Bien Public reports that episodes of stormy rain in the Châtillonnais have hit AOC crémant de Bourgogne vineyards, saying that no vineyard “from the Ource Valley to the Laigne Valley via the Seine Valley — no plot escapes mildew”.
According to Christophe Suchaut from the Chamber of Agriculture, “In the Châtillonnais, we are facing a real epidemic. The situation is very tense.” He adds that he has “never seen anything like it.”
The problem is that there has been little respite from rain since April, so neither the soil nor the plants have had a chance to dry out, and mildew has set in. Some growers have resorted to using anti-rot treatments for the first time in years.
Things aren’t looking much better in the vineyards of the Jura, which were hit by frost at the end of April and are now suffering from mildew.
Meanwhile, Le Journal de Saône et Loire reports that black rot has been seen in the southern Mâconnais and northern Beaujolais region.
No plot had been spared, whether farmed conventionally or organically
“It’s historic,” Mathieu Oudot, wine advisor at the Saône-et-Loire Chamber of Agriculture told the newspaper. "We haven't seen this since 1977 in the memory of former winegrowers." He added that no plot had been spared, whether farmed conventionally or organically. Powdery mildew has also been seen.
Meanwhile, production estimates for Bugey in eastern France have been revised downward. "We don't know what we're going to harvest. The winegrowers are exhausted," Jean-Luc Guillon, the president of the Syndicat des vins du Bugey told Le Progrès. "There are 100% losses in some sectors."
And Wine Intelligence recently reported that Champagne is also experiencing strong mildew pressure, so there will be less wine produced this year.
