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Merde!
Scorching temperatures in France’s southern region are stomping on the nation’s legendary wine industry, with the hot weather expected to squeeze output by up to 20%, experts warn.
Egregious conditions in fabled wine regions like the Rhône — where the mercury recently passed 107 degrees Fahrenheit — have local authorities advising growers to harvest their grapes in the dark, reportedly to preserve temperature and aroma.
Winemaker Jerome Volle wakes up at 3 a.m. to beat the heat, while hoping for cooler temperatures.
“[The heat] burns the grapes a little so we lose a little production as winegrowers,” Volle, 49, told Reuters, adding that things are “not bad if [the hot weather] does not last very long.”
And while decreased production in any measure means that the region’s prized wines will be more expensive and that much harder to find, there’s reportedly a silver lining that will make 2023 a year to remember.
“This year we are on a late concentration which will raise the quality of the grapes,” Volle said.
“Therefore the cost of the wine, as the smoothness and aromas which will emerge will make a rather exceptional wine for the 2023 vintage.”
Last August, France had its earliest ever wine harvest — a process that commonly spans into October — due to a drought that spanned nearly the entire summer.
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