New reports suggest that the
severe weather, especially hailstorms, that recently hit France have damage
vineyard production in some of the country’s grape growing regions, most
notably Cognac.
Weather and wine
A region’s ‘terroir’ is vital to
its ability to produce good wine. Explaining this somewhat nebulous concept, a
wine importer called Valerie was quoted
by Scientific American saying: “Terroir is
a specific set of natural elements that all come together in harmony to produce
a very specific outcome. The soil, the exposure to the sun, the drainage, the
proximity to water, the fog, all of these things, they all come together in an
expression that we find beautifully in the grape.”
In other words, the weather a
region experiences can dramatically impact its ability to produce wine. We saw
in France recently, for instance, how
frost can damage winemaking grapes. The French region of Burgundy was
subjected to heavy frosts this spring and this damaged the opening buds and
young shoots on many of its vines, ruining the quality of some of its grapes.
Estimates suggest that 46% of Burgundy’s vineyards have been damaged by more
than 30%.
Hailstorms hit Cognac
Reuters
reports that France experienced another bout of extreme weather, including
hailstorms, at the end of May, impacting grape harvests in Chablis, Beaujolais
and most notably Cognac. Based in South-West France, Cognac is known for
producing Cognac
Brandy. Like Champagne, Cognac must be produced according to specific
rules; for instance, all Cognacs must be made from high-acidity grapes like
Ugni Blanc.
A spokeswoman
for the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), the
Cognac industry trade body, commented. She noted that an astonishing 27.5
millimetres of rain and almost 15 centimetres (cm) of hail dropped down on
affected areas in just 15 minutes. Some wine producers, she continued, said
that they saw hailstones that were 1.5cm long; roughly the size of a quail egg.
This had a devastating effect for
Cognac producers. They have reported that 5,000 to 6,000 hectares, equating to
6% to 8% of their vineyards, were damaged badly by the showers and heavy
hailstorms. Continuing, the spokeswoman said: “There are places where they have
been 100% destroyed.”
It may be hard for grape growers
in Cognac, Chablis and Beaujolais to recover. France’s biggest farming union, the
Fédération Nationale des Syndicats d'Expoitants d'Agricoles, said in a
statement that not only could this event restrict 2016 harvests, it could also
impact future harvests. Explaining they noted: “These hail bursts ravaged many
vineyards, making future harvests uncertain or impossible.”
Try our Cognac
We do not know for certain what
kind of impact these hailstorms could have on Cognac production right now.
Potentially however, they could damage the Cognac-making trade for years to
come and that would be a huge loss, as Cognac is a brandy of the finest
quality. If you want to see why so many people around the world have a passion
for Cognac, purchase
the Remy Martin XO Champagne Cognac from Ideal Company today, so you can
sample this truly superior product!
