One of France’s major export businesses has been devastated by a severe frost that has affected over 80% of the country’s vineyards. French winemakers were already facing tough times in the wake of the global pandemic and from U.S. tariffs.
According to the European Committee of Wine Companies, the unusually late frost has affected all of the main wine-growing areas in the country. The trade body said this week that – “This is expected to cause a yield loss ranging from 25% to up to 50% in some regions.”
The scope of the destruction is huge and has affected areas that include Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire Valley, Provence, and the Rhone Valley.
The effects of the frost were exacerbated by unusually warm temperatures during the preceding weeks. This meant that vines had grown faster than usual and left them more sensitive to the effects of the cold. In the Champagne region, temperatures went from 80° F to 22° F in the space of a week.
Anne Colombo president of the Cornas Appellation, a wine-growing area in the Rhone Valley, said that the frost in Cornas was the worst the region had seen for half a century, she added that in some regions “there will be very, very few grapes this year.”
Christopher Chateau, Director of Communications for the Bordeaux Wine Council painted an equally bleak picture when speaking earlier this week – “An important share of the harvest has been lost. It’s too early to give a percentage estimate, but in any case, it’s a tragedy for the winegrowers who have been hit.”
In mostly futile attempts to protect their crops, Vineyard managers and their staff tried to keep the vines warm by using braziers and candles to keep the temperatures above freezing.
Other crops
It isn’t just the winemakers that have been hit by the severity of the late frost. Other crops including rapeseed and beets have been just as sorely affected. In a released statement the French National Federation of Farmers Unions said that the anguish is immense in the orchards, vineyards, and fields.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex said that the agricultural industry hadn’t faced such a crisis since 1991. Speaking to journalists Government Spokesperson Gabriel Attal said in some regions almost the entire annual production of certain crops would be lost.
The situation is so dire that it triggered the French Government’s “Agricultural Calamities Program.” This puts in place a series of financial support measures and tax relief programs to aid the industry. Government officials have also hosted a string of meetings with industry representatives, insurers, and bankers as they try to identify what other support measures will be required.
For the wine industry, the catastrophe comes at the worst possible time. The pandemic and U.S. tariffs related to a trade dispute had already devasted sales of the product.
In 2020, exports of French spirits and wines fell by 14% to $14.5 billion, with the U.S. market seeing a particularly sharp drop with sales tumbling 18%.
