Forced to start picking grapes much earlier than normal because of torrid temperatures, winemakers across France are worrying that grape quality will suffer from the climate-induced stress. | Fin24
The exceptionally dry conditions spread from the rugged hills of Herault along the Mediterranean, where picking is already underway, to the normally verdant Alsace in the northeast.
He said the shears came out on August 3 for the region's typical muscat grapes, followed by chardonnay and grenache blanc. Only 10 percent of France's winegrowing parcels use artificial irrigation systems, which can be difficult or prohibitively expensive to install. In Alsace,"we haven't had a drop of rain in two months," said Gilles Ehrhart, president of the AVA growers' association.And when temperatures surpass 38 degrees Celsius,"the grape burns - it dries up, loses volume and quality suffers" because the resulting alcohol content"is too high for consumers," said Pierre Champetier, president of the Protected Geographical Indication for the Ardeche region south of Lyon.
They nevertheless hope grape quality will hold up, as do Champagne growers in the northeast, where harvesting will begin late August - though yields are set to fall nine percent year-on-year because of a brutal spring cold snap and hailstorms.
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