Frost has been a serious problem throughout Europe this spring. But frost is not the only climate phenomenon that a vineyard can encounter. No vineyard is completely sheltered from extreme weather or natural disasters. Cold, frost, hail, fires and floods due to heavy rainfall are the most common weather problems. Burgundy, Piedmont and Mendoza in Argentina are three wine regions that often suffer from hail. In Argentina it is common with hail nets and now it is also starting to be used in Burgundy. We saw it for the first time in Chablis now in May.
According to the site www.winerisk.com, the biggest threats to the vineyards in the five largest wine countries are as follows:
- Italy: hail, frost, earthquake (in smaller scale volcanic eruptions and flooding)
- France: frost, hail, storm
- Spain: hail, frost, heat wave
- USA: frost, earthquake, storm
- Australia: frost, hail, fires
Read more on these threats: vitisphere.com.
