Fires in Provence

COMMUNITY SPIRIT PREVAILS - IN VINEYARDS AFFECTED BY FIRE

Stephen Cronk standing in front of a burned barn at Domaine Mirabeau

At this stage, surveys estimate that around thirty farms were impacted in the area of the wildfire (Gonfaron, Les Mayons, Le Luc, Le Cannet-des-Maures, La Garde-Freinet, Vidauban, Grimaud, Cogolin, La Môle, Le Plan-de-la-Tour) in the week commencing 16th August.

It is still extremely difficult to assess damaged vineyard acreage in AOC Côtes de Provence. Some vines may have been burnt, scorched or sprayed with fire retardant and cannot be harvested. However, depending on the areas or in the more sizeable vineyard blocks, a large amount of the fruit was fortunately saved.

Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie and the Secretary of State for Biodiversity, Bérengère Abba, came to meet industry representatives and witness the damage to vineyards first hand on 23rd August. They promised support from the State in assisting affected winegrowers. Industry representatives were also able to express their dismay at the lack of attention paid by the National Park to winegrowers in the management and upkeep of the area so that this type of wildfire can be avoided or limited.

In the interim, there were increasing outpourings of help to facilitate harvesting in the affected areas. The Côtes de Provence Producers’ Organisation, for instance, galvanised the industry into action via the Provence Rosé Cluster so that equipment could be lent to affected winegrowers. Similarly, the Var’s Chamber of Agriculture activated its farming task force to survey the damage and needs. It also launched an online fund via the Var Association for Agricultural Disasters (APASA). Farming associations and federations are also out in the field to offer support to their members.

“The entire industry would like to thank the fire crews and all public services for their involvement and their courage in saving our region and our vineyards from the fire. Personal ties were even formed as some estates provided hospitality and provisions for the firemen as they fought the blaze”. Éric Pastorino, Chairman of the CIVP

AOC CÔTES DE PROVENCE, AOC COTEAUX D’AIX-EN-PROVENCE, AOC COTEAUX VAROIS EN PROVENCE

HARVESTING GETS UNDERWAY - IN PROVENCE

Harvesting has begun in the earliest-ripening areas of the Provence wine region. Out in the vineyards, the fruit is very healthy, though the 2021 harvest has been marked by the consequences of the April frosts and recent wildfire that affected the Var department and part of the Côtes de Provence wine region. Harvesting has just begun in Provence. A hot, dry summer has promoted very healthy fruit, with no reports of powdery mildew. In the rare occurrences of downy mildew, disease pressure was rapidly contained.

As for the April frosts, their consequences were ultimately less severe than initially feared. In May, Provence winegrowers were pleasantly surprised to see clusters recover, though with significant disparities from one block to the next. Consequently, crop levels are extremely hard to estimate. Differences in ripening between the clusters that formed at the start of spring and those that emerged after the frost will require high-precision harvesting. On some estates, the customary order of harvesting will be upended compared to a normal year. In others, the expertise of the winegrower will be critical to ensuring that harvesting operations are launched at the appropriate time.

As for the Vintage’s potential sensory profile, initial samples on the ripest clusters have revealed very promising balance. Compared with last year, the fruit shows lower sugars and higher acids, a combination that is nothing short of the ‘holy grail’ for producing rosé wines.

The coastal areas have begun harvesting

The island of Porquerolles, where harvesting began overnight last Wednesday, set the ball rolling, followed at the start of this week by vineyards along the Var coast and around the Étang de Berre. So far, the weather has proven to be favourable for picking, despite some water stress in the driest areas.

Inland, producers continue to monitor progress on ripening and the time has not yet come to start picking. In fact, in the latest-ripening areas, it is estimated that it will take another month before harvesting can get underway.

PROVENCE WINE COUNCIL (CIVP)

Valérie Lelong

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