BORDEAUX (Reuters) - Violent hailstorms ravaged parts of the Bordeaux wine region in southwestern France on Saturday causing major damage in hundreds of vineyards with thousands of hectares of vines destroyed, producers said on Monday.

This comes just a year after the Bordeaux region suffered one of its worst harvests in history with a fall of 39 percent on year due to late frosts, which lead to a jump in prices.

The hail first hit the south of the region on Saturday at midday, affecting the Pessac-Leognan region and the south of Medoc, home to some of the region’s most famous chateaux, Bernard Farges, head of Bordeaux producers’ union CIVB, said.

It then devastated vineyards of Cotes de Bourg and Cotes de Blaye on the right bank of the Gironde river and, further east, in the Gensac and Pessac-sur-Dordogne.

The vineyard of Cognac was also hit by hail. Officials mention an initial figure of 10,000 hectares (24,710 acres)affected out of a total 70,000 hectares. They had also been affected by frosts last year.

“The figures...which will have to be refined, show that between 500 and more than 1,000 wine growers have been affected with a area hit of 1,000 hectares in the Medoc, between 4,000 and 5,000 hectares for Cote de Blaye and Cote de Bourg and about 1,000 hectares in the vicinity of Gensac”, Farges told Reuters.

Some winemakers lost 100 percent of their harvest, he said.

There are 112,000 hectares of vines in the entire Bordeaux vineyard, the second-largest wine producing region in France after Languedoc Roussillon.

Last year France’s total production had fallen to a record low due to a series of poor weather incidents including spring frosts, drought and storms that affected most of the main growing regions including Bordeaux and Champagne.

Bordeaux wine prices rose 16 percent in the first six months of the 2017/18 season, farm ministry data released in March showed.

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Ok, this manmade global climate change is starting to suck.

Forwarded to my oldest daughter. She is working with wine for her PHD in food science.

Sad news. I love Bordeaux. Or claret, as the Brits name it.

Does this mean there will be less whining?

Domestic vineyards are quietly jumping up and over the expected increase in profits....

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
Sad news. I love Bordeaux. Or claret, as the Brits name it.

Try some of the Spanish Rioja. Very similar to Bordeaux, much more affordable.

Thanks for that tip, V-Tail. I will try it.

I’m more a beer guy anyway, not that I wish harm on the average grower.

Give me a big bold chewy California cabernet any day.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
Sad news. I love Bordeaux. Or claret, as the Brits name it.

Try some of the Spanish Rioja. Very similar to Bordeaux, much more affordable.

I'm not a fan of Spanish wine. Way too sweet.

I've been way too spoiled by my French in-laws when it comes to wine. I do love a good Bordeaux.

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
Give me a big bold chewy California cabernet any day.

Isn't a chewy liquid called soup?

Woo-hoo - back to Absinthe!

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
I'm not a fan of Spanish wine. Way too sweet.

Which Spanish wine(s) are you talking about? Many of the Rioja reds are very similar to Bordeaux.

I lived / worked in Barcelona for a year and a half, it was a rare day that we did not have wine. Wine was served at lunch in the dining room at work (an automobile factory). One of the Spanish engineers on the project had an in-depth knowledge of the vineyards and the wines produced. He really enjoyed sharing his knowledge and introducing us to some of the best wine I have tasted.

Suggestion: If you like a Bordeaux (claret), sample the Viña Tondonia. One of my absolute favorites. I'm sure that you will not think it's too sweet! If you don't like it, pass it to me, I'll finish the bottle.

quote:

“The figures...which will have to be refined, ...

I'm interested in how this number turns out.

The reason I say that is I'm a gardener and mainly grow salsa and marinara. In July '16 my garden in Calgary was looking amazing, but then we had 3 hail storms in 30 days including back to back days. I still had a tomato and pepper harvest, but it was late since it took time to recover and smaller than it would have been. However, the evening of the 3rd hail storm I was convinced I was getting zero harvest.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
I'm not a fan of Spanish wine. Way too sweet.

Which Spanish wine(s) are you talking about? Many of the Rioja reds are very similar to Bordeaux.

I lived / worked in Barcelona for a year and a half, it was a rare day that we did not have wine. Wine was served at lunch in the dining room at work (an automobile factory). One of the Spanish engineers on the project had an in-depth knowledge of the vineyards and the wines produced. He really enjoyed sharing his knowledge and introducing us to some of the best wine I have tasted.

Suggestion: If you like a Bordeaux (claret), sample the Viña Tondonia. One of my absolute favorites. I'm sure that you will not think it's too sweet! If you don't like it, pass it to me, I'll finish the bottle.

Funny you mention Rioja, I had a bottle of 2009 Marques de Riscal Riserva last night with dinner and it was delicious.
Balzé Halzé, this was not at all a sweet wine.

quote:

Originally posted by MrToad:
Funny you mention Rioja, I had a bottle of 2009 Marques de Riscal Riserva last night with dinner and it was delicious.

Balzé Halzé, this was not at all a sweet wine.

Yup, we like that one (Riscal), too.

There are some Spanish wines from other areas that are on the sweet side, but none of the reds from the Rioja distrct that I ever tasted were sweet.

You said "Funny you mention Rioja." I mentioned Rioja because the thread is about Bordeaux. The story, as told to me by my co-worker in Spain: the border between southern France and norther Spain is defined by the Pyrenees mountains. Bordeaux is on the north side, Rioja on the south. The climate and the composition of the earth in those two areas are very similar.

Jaime (my Spanish co-worker) told me that the Rioja vineyards were originally established with cuttings from vines from the Bordeaux, so same grapes, similar environment for growth. He further stated that much of the Bordeaux area was hit by a blight years ago, that wiped out a good portion of the vines. The blight did not cross over the mountains to hit the Rioja area. Bordeaux vineyards had to be nursed back to health with new plantings.

As a result, the Rioja produces wine from the older, original Bordeaux grapes, in a sense more "authentic" than what now comes from the Bordeaux.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:


Jaime (my Spanish co-worker) told me that the Rioja vineyards were originally established with cuttings from vines from the Bordeaux, so same grapes, similar environment for growth. He further stated that much of the Bordeaux area was hit by a blight years ago, that wiped out a good portion of the vines. The blight did not cross over the mountains to hit the Rioja area. Bordeaux vineyards had to be nursed back to health with new plantings.

As a result, the Rioja produces wine from the older, original Bordeaux grapes, in a sense more "authentic" than what now comes from the Bordeaux.

From wiki:

quote:

In 1855, the châteaux of Bordeaux were classified; this classification remains widely used today. From 1875 to 1892 almost all Bordeaux vineyards were ruined by phylloxera infestations.[4] The region's wine industry was rescued by grafting native vines on to pest-resistant American rootstock.[4]

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quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
Give me a big bold chewy California cabernet any day.

when I was in the business, the Wine Reps would bring in stuff to sample,

best stuff was the small vineyards, not big names, and reasonably priced, and also the blends,

seems there is quite a market for extra juice from a lot of the big name/niche vineyards,
that juice is blended and sold as one off's,

good stuff,

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
Ok, this manmade global climate change is starting to suck.

You realize of manmade global climate change is the fault of CA Repubs who drive gas guzzler cars. Such is as proven science as is the law of gravity (at least according to my neighbor ).

But since you moved to TX, you are no longer guilty.