Hailstorms have again, a little while back, destroyed a part of the future harvest 2016 for growers in Beaujolais and Mâconnais. It was on the 13th and 14th of April that some villages, including Solutré-Pouilly in Macon and Juliénas and Saint-Amour in Beaujolais, saw their still very tiny buds getting injured by violent and large hailstones. Overall, between 2000 and 2500 hectares have been affected but how big the impact will be on the harvest is still unclear.
The hailstorm in Mâcon was unusually heavy and prolonged. Hailstorms tend to be short and intense; this lasted for 15-20 minutes. If a bud at this stage is completely destroyed, there is the chance that a new bud, sitting behind the main bud (“contre-bourgeon”), steps in to do the job. You risk getting a lower yield with this second bud though. Read more on bourgogneaujourdhui.com
But that is not all. Frost also struck with night temperatures well below zero. Serious damages to young buds in Burgundy, Loire, Champagne, Germany, Austria… Poor winegrowers! More on this in an upcoming post!
