“We cross our fingers that it rains”: in the Pyrénées-Orientales, winegrowers helpless in the face of drought

Alexis Bourdon (in Terrats, in the Pyrénées-Orientales) / Photo credit: Idriss Bigou-Gilles / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 10:35 a.m., February 8, 2024

225 millimeters of rain in 2023. This is the amount of precipitation that fell last year in the Pyrénées-Orientales, half as much as a normal year. In the middle of February, the department is currently placed on red drought alert. Last weekend it was up to 27 degrees. Hell for the farmers, and in particular the wine growers, that Europe 1 met.

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“This is an unprecedented situation,” worries Patrick Mauran. The winter brought neither cold nor rain and its vines are dry. The ground of this desert landscape cracks with every step. The slightest gust sends a cloud of dust flying.

30% of production lost in two years

The situation is such that the survival of its vines is threatened. "It didn't rain all autumn, this winter either. The only hope we have left is that in spring, we manage to have a little bit of water to maintain the plant potential. But here, I don't even talk to you about harvests, I'm talking to you about saving plants", insists the winegrower.

In two years, Patrick Mauran lost 30% of his production. The spring and summer of 2024 will be decisive for the future of its operation. "In the family, we have the impression that we are going to spend the last year over four generations. It's funny and we wouldn't want it to end with me. We're crossing our fingers that it rains, that's it. is the best thing that could happen for everyone,” he hopes.

Desperate, the wine grower sees only two solutions: succeed in a wine business further north, with a more favorable climate, or end his activity.