Faced with the risk of frost, winegrowers are on the fence

Muscadet, Anjou, Saumur, Touraine, Burgundy, Alsace, Champagne… The vineyards of the northern half of France are threatened by the cold wave expected from the night of April 5 to 6. Stimulated by the summer temperatures of the past week, the vines have started to bud and are extremely vulnerable to negative temperatures sharpened by the north-easterly breeze.

Candles, heaters and braziers

The winegrowers are therefore preparing for a succession of sleepless nights. To limit breakage, they have different techniques. Some will light straw fires, the smoke of which will screen the formidable magnifying effect of the first rays of sun on the buds. Others will light candles, heaters to warm the atmosphere. Still others will couple braziers with antifreeze towers to better diffuse hot air. There are also water sprinklers that create a protective cocoon around the vegetation.

Arborists on the bridge

For the rest, we will have to rely on Saint Vincent, the patron saint of winegrowers. Because alone “5% of the vineyard is protected in Muscadet and, often, the frost does not strike where it is expected”, says François Robin, from the Nantes Wines Federation.

2016, 2017, 2019… Frost damage on the vineyard is more and more frequent. This is a paradoxical consequence of global warming: earlier due to mild winters, the vines are more sensitive to spring frost. Identical scenario for orchards. “We will be on the bridge tonight”, assures François Richard, responsible for the Pomanjou orchards.

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