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The vineyards of Bordeaux are affected by downy mildew to an unprecedented extent, according to a press release by the Chamber of Agriculture of the Gironde Department (CA33). According to Laurent Bernos, head of the viticulture and wine department, 92 to 95 percent of the 86 plots monitored by CA33 are affected to a greater or lesser extent, and the frequency of infestation in the grapes is 55 percent: "This means that more than one in two grapes is infested. And one infected grape is gone. The foliage is 30 per cent infested, which is enormous. This has never happened before."
The culprit is the damp and sometimes tropical weather that has been going on for months. Although less rainy areas such as the northern Médoc are not as badly affected as the Bourg and Blaye appellations, the damage is now spreading from the Merlot vines, which were previously mainly affected, to Cabernet vines.
The Chamber of Agriculture and local politicians are calling for help for those affected: "The winegrowers, already largely weakened by the economic crisis, are disillusioned as they watch the loss of their coming harvest". In view of the sluggish sales of red wines, the labour shortage that makes disease control difficult, and the still ineffective grubbing-up and distillation campaigns, many winegrowers are "deeply distressed".
Besides Bordeaux, the regions of Bergerac, Gascony, Languedoc and Provence are also affected. Major downy mildew damage is also being reported from southern Italy.
(al / source: vitisphere)