Skip to main content
France

Storms ravage Burgundy vines, French rock festival evacuated

Vineyards in Burgundy were ravaged by hail during storms that hit much of France on Saturday night. A wine festival in Bordeaux and a rock festival in the south-west were temporarily closed because of winds of 100 km per hour.

A vineyard in Pommard, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
A vineyard in Pommard, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy RFI/Agnieszka Kumor
Advertising

Hail destroyed 40-80 per cent of the crop in vineyards in the Côte de Beaune region of Burgundy on Saturday afternoon, winemakers reported.

The prestigious appellations of Santenay, Meursault, Volnay, Pommard and Beaune are grown there.

After this year’s winning combination of rain followed by sunshine, hopes had been high for a high-quality crop but high winds and hail have destroyed many of the grapes that would have made some of France’s best-known wines.

“It’s a real catastrophe,” commented Jean-Louis Moissenet of the Pommard winemakers’ association.

The vines were also badly damaged by hail in July 2013 and in the summer of 2012.

Weather forecasters lifted storm warnings that had been issued for much of the country overnight, although rain and some wind was expected to continue Sunday.

Overall the storms were not as severe as expected, they said.

Sport and cultural events were called off overnight in the Lyon region and a wine festival in Bordeaux closed on Saturday evening.

The second evening of the Garorock music festival in Lot et Garonne was cancelled and festival-goers camping at the site were transferred to an exhibition centre.

France’s weather is expected to improve as the week progresses with temperatures returning to the mid-20s°C.

Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning

Keep up to date with international news by downloading the RFI app

Share :
Page not found

The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.