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Powdery mildew has mainly affected the Grenache vines in the wine-growing regions of the southern Rhône Valley from Châteauneuf-du-Pape to Valréas. The viticultural consultant Rémi Vandamme confirms considerable damage in all plots. Winegrowers who had not treated their vines before the weeks of rainfall at the end of April are now particularly affected: "Since then, those who missed the chance or who were unable to get into weed-free rows have been chasing after the disease. This applies to both organic and conventional farms, due to the mildew's resistance to many products."
Organic winegrower Xavier Tronc from Vaucluse estimates that 100,000 hectolitres of Côtes-du-Rhône, Côtes-du-Rhône Villages and Crus in the area may have been lost to mildew on Friday 7 June alone. "All my Grenaches and Carignans are affected. In some plots, every second leaf has mildew, and I expect the symptoms to be very visible on the grapes, even though I've already done six treatments." He can't remember a vintage this complicated, he says, and the situation is worse than 2008 and 2018. Like many of his colleagues, he is now hoping for three weeks of mistral winds to dry out the vines and the soil. "If we have wind and it doesn't rain too much, the situation should calm down," says Vandamme. Only in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where it rained another 30 millimetres last Sunday, does the situation remain critical, says the viticultural consultant.
(al / Source: vitisphere)