the Bordeaux vineyard devastated by mildew

Hard blow for the 5,300 Bordeaux winegrowers, already marked by climatic hazards. In the summer of 2023, the vines are affected by mildew, reports France 2 in a report. The grapes of Stéphane Gabard, in Galgon (Gironde) are blackened and dried out. “Now that the mildew is inside the bunch, the fungus will spread from seed to seed to achieve (…) a total destruction of the bunch”, he says. The parasite thus gnaws the leaves and the bunches of grapes.

90% of vines affected

Heavy rainfall and very humid heat in recent weeks have facilitated the spread of late blight. In Escousssons (Gironde), André Faugère also expects to lose almost all of these crops. “We had difficult years, but with crop losses like that, never”, he said. Of the 108,000 hectares of Bordeaux, 90% of the vines would be affected. For the Bordeaux Wine Interprofessional Council, the mildew crisis is above all a human disaster and requires the help of authorities. “We must assist and help those who have lost a lot”says Alain Sichel, its president.