Start of the grape harvest in Bordeaux under the sign of peronospora

In Bordeaux, the harvest of grapes for Crémant has begun. The area for sparkling wines is only about one percent of the total 110,000 ha in the region. According to Christophe Chateau, communications director of the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB), the quantity and quality of the grapes for Crémant should be "better than expected". The situation is different, however, for the main harvest, especially for Merlot. According to the Chamber of Agriculture, nine out of ten vines in the region are affected by downy mildew. Stéphane Gabard, president of the Syndicat des AOC Bordeaux et Bordeaux Supérieur, estimates losses between 20 and 50 percent. "Some wineries have lost almost everything. The despair is there."

After the 2023 harvest, almost 10,000 ha of vineyards in Bordeaux are to be grubbed up. For this, the state and the CIVB are providing 57 million euros to regulate supply, stabilise prices and prevent the development of diseases in the abandoned vineyards. France also subsidises the distillation of surplus red wine.

(al / source: larvf)

More on the topic:

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• Hotline set up for "traumatised" Bordeaux winegrowers
• Grubbing up of 9,500 hectares of vineyards in Bordeaux decided