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In Champagne, winemakers fear a harvest loss of up to a third after three nights of frost. In an initial assessment, Sébastien Debuisson, head of the technical team of the industry association Comité Champagne, reports 38 percent of buds damaged. This would be the second-largest damage since 2003. At that time, 45 percent of the harvest froze, reports the industry magazine vitisphere. Exact results will be published in May, but the risk of frost is not yet over.
The damage is distributed unevenly across regions. The most affected areas are Aisne (averaging 65 to 85%), the Vallée de l’Ardre (65%), the Côte des Bar (55 to 65%), and the Vallée de la Marne with 50 percent. For the remaining areas, the harvest loss is estimated at five to 40 percent. As Debuisson states, the early budding is one of the reasons for the significant damage: "The vegetation was 15 to 20 days ahead." To compensate for the losses, winemakers in Champagne can rely on their individual reserves. This consists of wines from previous vintages and serves to offset harvest losses. According to Comité Champagne, it amounts to about 7,200 kilograms per hectare.
(al; Image: Wikimedia Commons)
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