Bordeaux hit by further frosts
Bordeaux wine producers are steeling themselves for further frost damage to their vines, as temperatures dropped last night, and are forecast to do so again tonight.
Gavin Quinney of Chateau Bauduc said he and other winemakers could only wait for the cold spell to lift, and then to assess any damage.
“There was a heavy frost here early this morning, with temperatures plunging below -2°C. The sun is shining now and it’s too early to assess the extent of the damage," he said.
The new buds which are beginning to appear are particularly vulnerable to intense cold although different varieties and plots will be affected differently depending on whether they are early or late budding and if they were sheltered or not by their exposure and micro climate.
Speaking to local paper Sud-Ouest, one grower said they all had their “fingers crossed”.
Frosts have already wreaked considerable damage in Champagne this year and producers across much of France as well as northern Italy, Austria and Germany have reported widespread damage, made worse in many cases by a mild winter and warm spring which means many vines are two to three weeks ahead of where they were in their growth cycle at the same time last year.
Bordeaux largely escaped devastating frosts which struck the Loire, Champagne and Burgundy in 2016.
Around 1,000 hectares in Blaye, Castillon, parts of the Médoc and Saint Emilion were hit by freezing temperatures last week too.