Reportage
Drought in France: the rosé of Provence resists
Audio 01:15
The Domaine des Diables, in the Arc valley, not far from Aix-en-Provence.
© Domain of the Devils
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
In France, the wine sector fears a drop in harvests due to the historic drought and the major summer heat waves.
Except in Provence, the homeland of rosé, which represents 5% of the world production of this beverage: a 10% drop in yields was announced, but, on the hillsides of Aix-en-Provence, the grapes finally held up well. .
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With our special correspondent in the Arc Valley,
Ariane Lavrilleux
It's time to inspect the size of the grapes.
At the Domaine des Diables, Guillaume Philip is quite satisfied: “
It's a size that's within the norm, which isn't too big.
I think we will come out of this year with a normal harvest
”.
What saved his harvest were the storms in mid-August and above all his perfected irrigation system to avoid any waste, a drip and probes connected to the trunk of the vine: "
We will measure the circulation of sap in the plant.
Basically, to put it simply, as soon as it is a little more water stressed, the sap will circulate much more slowly.
This will give us the indication that she needs water.
And we will be able, on the other hand, really, to have precision to the minute.
So we will supply the plant with water, but we will really ration it
”.
Ancestral techniques
And even the plots that are not irrigated - like those of Quentin and Sylvie Lang - they have held up well thanks to heat-resistant grape varieties and ancestral techniques: "
As the ancients said, working the soil, "two hoeing = watering".
Me here, we work organically on the estate.
So, hoe with a plow or the interstocks between the vines.
So, we turn the soil over, which makes it possible to avoid evapotranspiration of all the moisture in the soil
”.
The heat wave nevertheless had an effect on the harvest: this year, they have just started a week in advance.
Sales of rosé wines have jumped again
this year in France with double-digit growth of 10% between 2021 and 2022. To the point that some areas are finding themselves out of stock.
And it's not just a passing fad, but a real success for a wine that has completely changed its image, explains Gilles Masson, president of the rosé center in Vidauban, in the Var: "
There are 20 or 25 years old, rosé was not taken too seriously.
It was considered a small wine.
We didn't really know how it was made, mixed, they said.
There were risks of headaches, stomach aches.
Finally, there was a whole series of negative images that weighed on the history of rosé wine.
»
“
We have
, he says again,
really turned the tide with Provence as the leader.
We did research.
It first went through this improvement in timed and precise vinification.
Making rosé is a work of art.
And little by little, the quality has considerably improved and we have transformed what was initially a fad into a real heavy trend.
And the phenomenon of rosé from Provence in recent years has been extraordinary export growth.
Americans are crazy about rosé.
They are starting to do it.
Suddenly, this trend is globalizing.
New world countries, Australia, New Zealand love and make rosé.
So it really is a global phenomenon.
”
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