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In France, the grape harvest began on 2 August, ten days after Spain. According to his own information, Jean-Marc Lafage from Domaine Lafage in Roussillon is the first French winegrower to bring in grapes this year. He harvested Muscat à Petits Grains and reports great drought in his vineyards. The rainfall of 200 mm is only a third of the average for the region. Lafage therefore expects a loss of up to 60 percent of his harvest.
However, he is very satisfied with the quality of the grapes, especially in plots with permanent cover crop and regenerative viticulture: "In these places, instead of a 60 percent crop loss, we see a reduction of 25 to 30 percent, but with fresh grapes and larger berries than usual." Downy mildew has not been an issue, he said, unlike in other parts of France such as Gascony or Bordeaux, due to the dry conditions and permanent wind.
(al / source: drinksbusiness)