(Toulouse) Almost the entire Cahors vineyard was decimated last week by an episode of late frost, in a terroir already affected in 2023 by mildew, we learned on Monday from the inter-professional association.
“We had three days of frost in a row, the temperature dropped to -4°C. On 90% of the vineyard, we have 100% damage. On the remaining 10%, we will see within a month,” lamented the president of the AOC, Nicolas Fournié.
“The leaves, the buds, the branches have turned brown, they have dried up, as if burned. The vines are in a state of shock,” he described to AFP.
Lot winegrowers expected negative temperatures, but not this low. Around 250 independent or cooperative winegrowers are affected by the climatic phenomenon.
A few weeks after an episode of frost, the vine gives leaves again, but with much fewer grapes at harvest time.
“That’s a lot of climatic hazards in a short time,” regretted the president of the AOC Cahors. “We had high hopes for 2024, because last year, the appellation’s yield was low (with only 40% of production capacity). It’s starting to seriously impact finances and morale. »
If Cahors wine producers are unable to supply the planned volumes, they fear losing markets.
Not far from the Lot, the vineyards of Fronton (Haute-Garonne) and Gaillac (Tarn) were affected by the same episode of frost, but to a lesser extent.