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A severe hailstorm caused significant damage in the vineyards of Champagne last Saturday after passing over Paris. The municipalities of Saint-Martin-d’Ablois, Vinay, Pierry, and partially Épernay were particularly hard hit. Hailstones the size of small eggs fell, leaving considerable devastation. According to Sébastien Debuisson, Director of Quality and Sustainable Development at Comité Champagne (CIVC), between 500 and 1,000 hectares of vineyard area could be affected – however, precise estimates are difficult as the precipitation varied greatly locally.
At the experimental vineyard Plumecoq of Comité Champagne on the Côte des Blancs, the average damage is around 30 percent, with significant differences between higher and lower locations. Currently, winemakers are focusing on removing excess shoots to preserve the foliage and promote photosynthesis. Hope lies in the resilience of the vines and the budding of secondary buds (second growth).
Agnès Ferry-Wanner, a winemaker in Épernay, Pierry, and Mardeuil, reports that 60 percent of her vineyards were damaged – an extent that even her father has not experienced in 45 years. In Épernay, she estimates the loss at about 50 percent of the shoots, while the Côte des Blancs largely remained unscathed. Despite the destruction, she remains optimistic: "Nature often surprises us positively – last year we were able to achieve full yield despite a 30 percent loss due to mildew."
South of Épernay, the storm also wreaked havoc in regions like Vert-Toulon and Étoges, albeit locally limited. Winemaker Valérie Dupont from Reuves speaks of damage between 50 and 80 percent in individual parcels. Overall, she expects about a 20 percent loss on her six-hectare vineyard, which is spread over ten municipalities.
Despite the widespread damage, there is also good news: Vincent Jourdan, president of the Champagne cooperatives, confirmed that the vineyards in the Marne Valley, in the Aisne department, and on the Montagne de Reims largely remained unscathed. Thus, a significant part of the Champagne cultivation area is currently intact.
However, the final impact on the 2025 harvest can only be assessed in a few weeks when the vegetation has developed further and the extent of the damage becomes clearer.
(ru / Vitisphere)
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