Violent hailstorms hit western France destroying swaths of vineyards and killing a girl out walking with her parents, reports The Guardian.
The sudden and powerful storms that struck the Bordeaux and Charentais winemaking regions on Saturday took residents by surprise with some describing them as the worst in 30 years.
“I’ve dozens of hectares without a single leaf or shoot left. In the space of 10 to 15 minutes the hail destroyed the whole harvest,” said Didier Gontier, the director of the Côtes de Bourg label, a small appellation that lost its 2017 production to frost. “There are a few shoots left; whether they will grow I can’t say … if I’m honest, I don’t think so.”
The Haut-Médoc region of north Bordeaux and the Cognac-producing vineyards were also affected, as was the Charente Maritime department.
Bernard Farges, vice-president of the Bordeaux winemakers’ body, the Conseil interprofessionnel du vin de Bordeaux (CIVB) told journalists the organisation was taking stock and would release details of the devastation to vineyards on Monday.
Franck Jullion, the president of the Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux appellation, said his vines, which were expected to flower next week, had been destroyed.