Vineyards around the village of Chablis (archive image).
A fierce hailstorm hit the Chablis region in northern Burgundy at the beginning of May, prompting concern about damage to vineyards.
Some producers told French media outlets that they had been severely impacted by deluges of icy hailstones on the night of 1 May.
Weather service Météo France said violent ‘supercell’ storms affected different parts of France and began in northern Burgundy, bringing heavy hail to certain areas, and particularly Chablis.
It said some hailstones were between 4cm and 5cm in diameter, which would make them similar in size to a table tennis ball.
While the full extent of vineyard damage was still unclear, there were reports of hail slicing through leaves and damaging vine plants, which are still in the relatively early stages of the 2024 growing season.
Catherine Poitout, of L&C Poitout, told France 3 that the area around Beine was completely white after being carpeted with hailstones. ‘It could have been the middle of winter, in the mountains,’ she said.
Burgundy’s regional wine council, the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne (BIVB), said on X – formerly Twitter – that it stood in solidarity with wine growers affected.
A BIVB spokesperson said that some areas were hit harder than others. Early reports suggested Chablis grand cru climats Vaumur, Vaudésir, Moutonne and Preuses were among the worst-hit sites, according to the BIVB.
Elsewhere, communes most affected were:
Fontenay-près-Chablis La Chapelle-Vaupelteigne Villy Maligny Beine Lignorelles
The BIVB spokesperson said that
