The images are captivating, but across France farmers are counting the cost after three nights of sub-zero temperatures. For many winemakers the 2021 harvest is ruined, reports BBC News.
Temperatures have dipped to record lows in some areas, and farmers have used every method they can to save their crops. Agriculture minister Julien Denormandie says he will declare an agricultural disaster.
The deep frosts have destroyed buds on grapevines in the legendary vineyards of Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Languedoc and the Rhône valley.
"It's a national phenomenon," warned Jérôme Despey, head of the FNSEA farmers' union, who said these frosts were worse than any he could remember.
Winemaker Boris Calmette, 62, spoke of a catastrophe: "We've got wine co-operatives affected by as much as 90%, which is extremely rare."
Local agriculture officials say 90% of the vineyards in the southern Hérault area have been hit, and it is not just grapes either: peach trees, nectarines and apricots are all damaged.
Among the vines badly affected are those of the Pic St Loup in the Languedoc in France's south, where temperatures fell as low as -8C.
All 65 wine areas of Bordeaux have been hit by temperatures as low as -5C and wine-growers have lit braziers and candles a few feet apart in an attempt to protect their crops. Another tactic is to burn bales of straw.
In the Sauternes region of Bordeaux, some vineyards have reported 90% of the crop destroyed.