Between spring frosts, droughts, and then the last storms, the nerves of vine growers are tested. However, in Yun, the harvest promises to be good: having weathered the cold, the vineyards have experienced rapid and early growth thanks to the warmer temperatures and then the rains of recent days. But if “all lights are green,” the future remains uncertain, subject to the vagaries of the weather. Decoding with Guilhem Goisot, representative of the Regional Association for the Study and Control of Atmospheric Epidemics (Arelfa) in Lyon.
How is Fine Yun currently? All lights are green. But it was a very stressful year. We’ve started with three nights of frost in April, then a drought, and there for two weeks we’ve been seeing very stormy peaks and heavy rain.
Did these storms cause local damage? If you look closely, you will find some effects of hail, but they are very local. In Yun, we only had two small episodes of hail, on Sunday 5th June and Thursday 23rd June 2022.
How is the vineyard protected from the cold? Arelfa, a regional association for the study and fight against atmospheric pests, established a network of silver iodide generators a few years ago. Since the launch of the hail campaign in mid-April 2022, there have already been about fifteen alerts, most of them in June. This network has been activated almost every day in recent weeks.
excellent “For now, the vines are great”: In Yun, the harvest is announced under good care
How does the anti-hail device work? The goal is not to stop the cold, it’s impossible. But it can reduce the severity and size of a cold by 40-50%. Trace amounts of silver iodide are on the rise. The variation in temperature brings the particles into the cold clouds. This reduces the size of the less aggressive hailstones. This system means that Auxerois and Chapels were slightly affected by the storms in June.
What was complicating this June was that a cold region settled over Portugal, giving rise to giant cells of very rare density.
These silver iodide generators are usually activated how many times a year? On average, we are in dozens of times. There, between mid-April and June, we actually hit 15. The record was 2019, with 18 alerts.
Is this record likely to be broken this year? We made a point with the technician regarding the weather forecast. What was complicating this June was that a cold region settled over Portugal, giving rise to giant cells of very rare density. In forecasts, fortunately, we’ll start with a fairly classic month in July, with thunderstorms likely, but more normal. from next week (From July 4 to 10, Editor’s Note) Hurricane must be adjusted. In August the weather should be hot and dry. For the vineyards, the end of the season promises to be quiet.
excellent Heat wave: It’s never been hot in June in Auxerre, Sans and Gwen
So the harvest promises to be somewhat early? There is a good chance that they will start in Auxerrois around August 20th. Cremants start as soon as possible. In Chablis and Saint-Bris-le-Vineux it will be a little later, there is always a few days late. The climatology is rather favorable, but if we have a very hot and dry summer, it can also slow down the vine. So the optimistic hypothesis is around August 20, pessimistic, early September.
Will the harvest be beautiful? At the moment, the quality of foliage and grapes is very good. Anyway, we are heading towards a natural harvest. Which will not offset the significant losses for 2021, but it will limit the damage, especially in the context of an economic outbreak. Already in a classical economic context, it takes two or three years after a bad harvest to rebalance the cash flow on the farm. There, it will take a little longer to balance the losses.
Has the recruitment of seasonal workers started? The advantage of early harvest is that we reach students and therefore recruit more easily. Recruitment is underway in most wineries. But we are still facing difficulties in recruitment.
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