Published
Video length: 2 min
Bad weather in Yonne: in Chablis, the vineyard severely affected by hail
Bad weather in Yonne: in Chablis, the vineyard severely affected by hail
(franceinfo)
The Chablis vineyard, in Yonne, was almost completely destroyed by the bad weather on May 1st. The damage could have harmful effects for years to come, while climate change raises fears that such episodes will become recurrent.
Wednesday May 1, the hills of Chablisien (Yonne) were ravaged by hail. Today they look like scorched earth. “There are no more leaves, no more grapes, it feels like winter“, deplores Angélique Boudin, a young winegrower. According to her, more than 90% of her plots have been destroyed, and it could take two years for them to grow back. “We don’t even know if we will harvest in 2024“, she worries.
Fear of global warming
With global warming, hailstorms could be more violent in the future. More than a quarter of the Chablis vineyards in Yonne were affected, with losses ranging from 80% to 100% for some farmers. A few days earlier, winegrowers had already suffered from frost. To adapt to climatic hazards, some are organizing themselves, like Frédéric Gueguen who put part of his 2023 vintage aside. A reserve that he will be able to use in bad years in order to keep his customers and maintain his income. In all, 95% of Chablis producers have adopted this solution.
