Adverse weather events damaged vinegrowing activities across Europe, paricularly in France.  There, hail storms severely hit Meursault and Mercurey, with on average around 10 to 20 percent damage) and the Côte Chalonnaise further south (an initial estimation of 50 percent damage to the Chardonnay and 20 percent to the Pinot Noir at Château de Chamirey in Mercurey, for instance).  Moreover, following recent heatwaves, numerous regions in central and eastern France were hit by thunderstorms, with hail reported (beyond Burgundy) in the Massif Central and heavy rainfall, hail and power cuts Jura and Alsace.

Still in France, a much-discussed mildew outbreaks affected Bordeaux, threatening production.  Bordeaux continues to be plagued with high humidity and heavy mildew pressure – as has Bergerac, the South West (in particular Irouléguy, with parts of Jurançon also hit), Languedoc and even Provence.  The head of the FDSEA (National Federation of Farmers) Union in Bordeaux, Jean-Samuel Eynard, told wine news website Vitisphere.com this week that: “The situation is truly catastrophic” and that “In 40 years in the industry, I’ve never seen the like.”

In Bergerac, the head of the Federation of Bergerac and Duras Winegrowers organisation told regional newspaper Sud-Ouest: “We’ve been at war [with mildew] for two months and we’ve lost”.

Piedmont (Italy) was hit with hail in early July after a supercell storm broke just southeast of Turin, hitting parts of Roero and Asti on a northwest-southeast line across Alba. Reports indicated that the likes of Barbaresco, Neive and Alba itself were hit although the damage varies from commune to commune.  “We received reports of hail the size of tennis balls and extensive damage to crops,” Alberto Cirio, president of the Piedmont Region, told regional news station TGR Piemonte. Other reports said hail the size of walnuts had damaged crops and vines in the region. Europe isn’t alone. Wildfire season has also hit California although fires there are, so far, confined to the Central Valley region and its eastern hillside (the Sierra Foothills) and appear to be some distance from vineyards.