Spring frosts hit Bourgogne winegrowing region unusually hard

Press release from the Burgundy Wine Council – 29 April 2016 

I was in Champagne, at Duval Leroy, when this terrible news was reported, and Champagne was also hit by some frost, as I contributed to this decanter.com story. But it seems that the Bourgogne region was particularly hard hit by springtime frosts over the past few days. What follows is the text of a press release from the BIVB, or Bourgogne Wine Council.

Temperatures fell below freezing across the region on the night of 26-27 April, with visible consequences on the vines.

This event is causing a great deal of stress among winegrowers, who once again feel helpless in the face of the whims of the weather, and are concerned about the potential of the future harvest.

Although it is still too early to provide detailed analysis of the damage caused by the frosts across the different sectors, early reports from growers and technicians are showing that the entire region has been hit, from north to south.

It is unusual for a weather event like this to affect such a wide area.

The vines of Chablis, the Grand Auxerrois, the Côte de Nuits, the Côte de Beaune, and the Côte Chalonnaise were all touched to a greater or lesser extent. The Mâconnais was hit by frosts on the morning of 28 April. It is also unusual in that the plots and areas that are usually spared the frost were hit this time.

Outside of the Bourgogne region, this cold spell affected a significant number of other winegrowing regions in both France and the rest of Europe. Analysis in the field is ongoing, and will continue over the next few days in order to draw up a more detailed report. At the time of writing, it is difficult to evaluate the impact on the 2016 vintage, but we can say that we are certain this event will have consequences, despite grape vines being strong plants that are able to adapt.

Contact: Cécile Mathiaud – Head of PR Tel: +33 (0)3 80 25 95 76 – cecile.mathiaud@bivb.com