The southern Mâconnais and the northern Beaujolais regions have been hit by terrible hailstorms on more than one occasion, which will affect the yield and quality of the 2008 vintage and possibly for the 2009 vintage. Julienas and St-Amour villages that produce Cru Beaujolais have been hit the hardest, with some wineries declaring a total destruction of their vines.
Some observers claim they had never seen a hailstorm like this. There we no rain and then all of sudden a lot of hail balls, some much larger than golf balls.
The 2008 Burgundy harvest will be smaller than last year, following a poor fruit development and these hailstorms. Although it may be too early to judge the quality of the vintage, the professional official body of the region, Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne (BIVB) says the fruit quality has been adversely affected by a cold and wet spring.
The damage appears to be localized in Cote d'Or. For instance, the prestigious Vosne-Romanee region has not reported any hail damage. Areas near Dijon did suffer hailstorms. Chablis region was also the least affected by the storms
Like in Bordeaux and many areas in France, the region's winegrowers have also had to fight the outbreaks of mildew due to wet season, and deal with fluctuating weather in the spring and summer.
The good news for the growers is that the forecast for the region is good with warm weather expected to move in next week. The harvest in the region is due to begin in mid September. Like in Bordeaux where 2007 may not have been a great vintage but good weather just before and during the harvest, helped vintners salvage the losses to a great extent, there are many optimists amongst the vine growers.
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