French wine producers brace for massive losses as cold snap decimates crops

Across France, wine growers are reeling after unseasonal freezing temperatures, which have affected hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops and vines in 10 of the country's 13 wine producing regions. 

A winegrower from the Luneau-Papin wine estate lights anti-frost candles in the vineyard in Le Landreau, near Nantes, western France, on April 12, 2021, as temperatures fall below zero degrees celsius. AFP - SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS

"We've never experienced anything like this frost wave," Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie said. "This is probably the greatest agricultural catastrophe of the beginning of the 21st century."

Cote-Rotie vineyards are looking at losses of around 80 percent of their harvest after a cold snap swept across Europe following a period of unseasonably warm weather.

Spring frost can be particularly devastating for vines, because once their sap has risen and buds have appeared they become highly vulnerable to sub-zero temperatures. 

While the destruction wrought on vineyards is getting the most attention, France's wider agriculture sector – the European Union's biggest – is also reeling from the cold weather.

Le gel de printemps à fait son retour dans le vignoble de #Bourgogne. Les viticulteurs se mobilisent et luttent pour protéger et prendre soin du #Millesime2021. Bon courage à tous les vignerons, nous sommes avec vous ! #VinsBourgogne @vinsdechablis #Chablis pic.twitter.com/EAVRTNWDec

— Vins de Bourgogne (@VinsdeBourgogne) April 6, 2021

Fruit & veg hit

Producers of fruit, vegetables and cereals have also been affected by the frost, with around 10 percent of France's sugar beet production already lost.

Denormandie warned that consumers will also have "far fewer" apricots, cherries and other fruit this year, driving prices higher.

The minister, who set up a crisis group to coordinate the government's response, has warned of "significant" financial damage.

Prime Minister Jean Castex promised "exceptional payouts" to help growers get through the crisis. But the worst may be yet to come.

More bad weather on the way

The weather forecast suggests more damage ahead as abundant rainfall favours frost formation, even in milder temperatures, according to Luc Servant, vice president of France's chambers of agriculture.

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Servant says that it is still too early to gauge the toll on this year's wine production, a part of which could still be saved in cases where buds had not yet appeared.

"But wherever fruit has frozen on trees, there won't be more blossoms. It's over," he said.

The damage comes despite wine-makers taking various measures to mitigate the effect of extreme weather.

As vines blossom earlier due to global warming, growers have taken to pruning them later and later in the year to stop the buds appearing too quickly.