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Almost eight percent of the vineyards in Alsace suffered from wood diseases in 2024. This is four percent more than in 2023 and the highest value since 2016. Riesling is particularly affected.
The French wine and vine research organization IFV has been monitoring 100 plots with around 30,000 vines in Alsace for 21 years. According to their report, Riesling showed the highest symptom rate last year at twelve percent, followed by Gewürztraminer (9%) and Auxerrois (6.8%). Fungal diseases such as Esca or Eutypiosis were the most frequently observed. Céline Abidon, head of the IFV regional office in Alsace, attributes the increase in diseases to the effects of extreme weather conditions due to climate change.
As the IFV has found, about half of the vines show no symptoms after a total loss in the following year. Céline Abidon therefore recommends giving affected plants a new chance instead of uprooting them. For prevention, she suggests specifically treating plots with early signs of symptoms, either by shortening the vine or by gouging. The method depends on the vitality of the plant. Young and vigorous Gewürztraminer can be easily shortened, while gouging is the better option for old Riesling vines. However, this work requires high effort and technical expertise. Gouging can take up to 15 minutes per vine and is therefore costly.
(al / vitisphere)