Hailstorms damage vineyards in Alsace and Cote Rotie

Winegrowers in Alsace and the Cote Rotie in the Rhone are now able to assess the damage wreaked on their vineyards by the violent hailstorms a couple of weeks ago.

Jean-Paul Goulby, director of the Alsace Viticulture Association, said that the storm mostly affected the western sector of Colmar. Between 800 and 1,000 hectares of vineyards were damaged in Mittelwihr, Sigolsheim, Bennwihr and Beblenheim, he said.

Hubert Trimbach of Domaine Trimbach, which has some vineyards in Mittelwihr, told ThirtyFifty, ‘These have been very badly hit and we shall lose between 80 and 100 per cent of this coming crop.’ Fortunately, the majority of vineyards, which are in other villages, are safe, said Hubert.

In the Cote Rotie, the hailstorm was very localised and the region’s trade body, Inter Rhone, is still compiling data for the exact crop situation. However, Guigal says the picture isn’t as bleak as it was. Winemaker Philippe Guigal told ThirtyFifty, ‘We were extremely pessimistic at the beginning, thinking the loss was 50 per cent. But young leaves are coming back on the vines and, although it is difficult to be precise, we now think it could be more like 25 to 30 per cent loss.’