Hail ravages Burgundy vineyards as storms hit France

Vines in some of France’s most prestigious vineyards were destroyed by hail as summer storms hit Burgundy. Much of the east and centre of the country remained on storm alert on Wednesday. 

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The much sought-after appellations of Beaune, Volnay, Pommard and Savigny-lès-Beaune have seen “catastrophic” damage to vines, according to Pommard winemakers’ professional association president Jean-Louis Moissenet.

Some areas lost 90 per cent of the crop when storms hit on Tuesday afternoon, he said.

Growers were forced to tend to the vines to prevent diseases spreading on Wednesday.

Weather forecasters at Météo France warned of more storms Wednesday in 13 departments in the east and middle of the country.

Two people – a man and a woman – were hospitalised after weather-related accidents in the region.

Alsace, Franche-Comté, Lorraine, Saône-et-Loire and Côte-d'Or in Burgundy were expected to be affected with storms stretching across the country from the Pyrenees mountains in the south-west to the Alps and the Jura and then further north-east.

There could be more hail, heavy rain and winds as high as 100 kilometres an hour.

The storms are due to the difference in temperature between higher and lower atmospheres.