A killing frost

On the night of April 26, the commune of Meursault (in the Côte de Beaune region of Burgundy) was severely damaged by the worst killer frost since 1981. As County winegrowers can testify, such a calamity is truly heartbreaking— regardless of the region it strikes. We know the impact that plunging temperatures have, not only on the vintage, but also on future harvests until the canes recover from this stress.

Such killer frosts are rarely narrowly confined, so I decided to investigate further. I found that across Burgundy, the majority of vineyards suffered to some extent—with certain areas suffering over 80 per cent degradation. The sub-region of Mâconnais had already been hit by a heavy hailstorm on April 13, damaging over 2,500 hectares of vineyards. And then they were hit by this heavy frost on April 27, further degrading the harvest potential.

A spring freeze had already affected many other areas in Europe over the course of the week leading up to the night of the 26th—with adverse impact on the vineyards of the Loire Valley and Champagne that has yet to be determined. Hail also hit the southwest of France, causing losses between 20 and 50 per cent in the Cahors region. (Hail can devastate a vineyard: it will invariably destroy the primary bud, forcing vineyard managers to rely on a healthy second bud to bring in a harvest.) With so much frost or hail damage in early-to-late April, 2016 will be a disastrous year for European wines (and insurance companies).

Grape growers and produce farmers in the County of Prince Edward can testify that mother nature dictates the success or failure of any given year. We rarely, if ever, reflect on the risks they take as we enjoy the product of their labour.

I did not have the opportunity to taste a local wine this week. We are, however, on the cusp of rosé season. Evenings on the deck watching a sunset or a lunch in the garden call for a rosé wine. Chilled—with aromas of strawberry, pomegranate, greengage or cranberry —these wines are a harbinger of warmer days and happy experiences.