• The extent of frost damage is comparable to that of 1991, according to the Nantes Wine Federation.

  • A hope of partial regrowth remains.

    Answer in a month.

  • The Nantes vineyard, known mainly for its Muscadet, stretches over 8,000 hectares in Loire-Atlantique.

A week after two particularly intense episodes of frost, the time has come to assess the damage in the Nantes vineyards. And the record is black. No less than "90% of the vines are affected by frost", announces Christian Gauthier, president of the Nantes wine federation. “It was the frost on Monday April 12 that did the most harm,” he says. All the municipalities are affected, despite the measures put in place by the winegrowers. At home, there is nothing left. The buds are roasted, quite dry. When you touch them, they crumble like tobacco. "

The Nantes vineyard had already been severely penalized by frost in 2016 and 2017. But the damage in spring 2021 looks more like “the year 1991”.

“It's the same scale,” laments the Saint-Hilaire-de-Clisson winegrower, who admits that “the morale of the guys is severely affected”.

Winegrowers have stocks

Only a leap of nature could mitigate the consequences on the harvest.

"The vine is not going to die of a spring frost," explains the president of the Nantes wine federation.

There will be a regrowth and we have a little hope of finding some buds.

It's too early to tell.

We'll see them by May 20.

But, anyway, the harvest will be cut by more than half.

And it will probably be a lot more.

"

Under these conditions, will consumers still find Muscadet next year?

“I think there will be enough to supply the market before the 2022 harvest. We recorded a very good harvest in 2020 and, at the same time, sales have decreased with the closure of restaurants and the Covid.

So most winegrowers have stocks.

The luck we have with wine is that it stores very well.

"

Help to better prepare

The profession will still "need financial support to pass the course", believes Christian Gauthier. The government has promised to financially help the sector with the creation of an “exceptional solidarity fund”. A crisis unit, co-piloted with the regional council, will also open in Pays-de-la-Loire. One of the avenues would be to facilitate the purchase of anti-frost control equipment.

“The profession must now prepare for more frequent episodes of freezing, is convinced Christian Gauthier.

We can see that the seasons are not exactly the same.

I make a link with climate change.

It is therefore necessary to develop the protection of the plant.

Consider also reviewing the insurance system, pooling risks at the scale of a vineyard so that everyone can be covered in the event of significant losses.

"

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