2021 Frost Impacts Most French Wine Growing Regions Including Bordeaux
They say that bad luck comes in threes. For French winegrowers, first it was the higher US taxes levied on imported French wines. This resulted in a 14 percent plunge in global French wine and spirit exports in 2020. The second hit came from the impact of the pandemic. Global demand once again decreased as a result of bar and restaurant closures and the almost overnight disappearance of events and celebrations to lubricate. This left producers with no choice but to dump gallons of unsold bottles of champagne, beer and wine. And now, the devastating impact of the 2021 frosts.
Two weeks ago, on the evenings of April 5th, 6th and 7th, the majority of France and its wine growing regions saw temperatures plunge overnight. An April frost is not a new phenomenon in France, but winemakers fear they will become more common and more devastating in their impact as a result of global warming. In the weeks leading up to this year’s devastating frost experience, most of France had experienced unseasonably warm weather with temperatures peaking at 26C encouraging vegetation to bloom early and bud break to occur in most vineyards. And then, beginning April 5th, temperatures dropped to between -4C and -7C in the early morning hours threatening these new buds. According to Meteo France, the French national meteorological service, this fast change in April temperatures was the most drastic since 1947. Frost has always been the enemy of winegrowers, but it was a combination of unseasonal and extreme temperatures that rendered this year such a disaster.
The French Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie has stated that this is “probably the biggest agronomic disaster since the beginning of the 21st century.” This has affected hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops and vines in 10 of the country’s 13 regions including the major wine growing regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Loire and the Rhône Valley. Initial reports suggest that up to 80% of French vineyards have been damaged with up to a third of French wine production, worth almost 2 billion euros, being lost. This would be worse than the losses to frost reported in 1991, 1997 and 2003. Substantial losses are also expected for other fruits and vegetables including kiwis, apricots, apples, beets and rapeseed. The French government has declared the incident an “agricultural disaster” and announced emergency aid totaling one billion euros ($1.2 billion) to help the worst-affected farmers.
There is concern that this year’s grape harvest could be one of the smallest ever that will ultimately result in higher prices for wine.
What has been the impact to wine growers in Bordeaux?
The Gironde Chamber of Agriculture has published its first estimates on the damage from this frost episode, seen below. They have analyzed a map of minimum temperatures recorded from April 6th to 12th to identify the areas that have suffered the most intense cold. The estimated damage rates roughly follow these gradients of minimum temperatures recorded.
Initially, it is estimated that Graves, Entre-deux-Mers, Sud-Gironde (Sauternes and Barsac), the Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux were particularly impacted. In the Barsac appellation, Frédéric Nivelle, technical director of Château Climens, premier grand cru classé, estimates that "between 50 and 90% of the properties have undoubtedly been affected." The weather station at Château Climens recorded -3.5 degrees at the end of the first night.
Château Climens: “Our hopes gone with the cold wind, the frost has not spared any part of the vineyard, in spite of our teams efforts.”
It should be noted that the individual situations of wineries can be very diverse within the same municipality and even the same winery. A difference of 1 or 2 degrees can sometimes save a crop or destroy it and the sensitivity of buds and twigs is also strongly dependent on their vegetative state. It also depends on what techniques the wineries implemented in order to try and stave off the frost, something we discuss more about below. A lot also depends on the location of the vines themselves.
Château Beard La Chapelle: 'Terres Rouges' is the only plot that survived the frost out of 18 hectares this last week. It will be a special cuvée homage to my grandmother Isobelle. #stemiliongrandcru #vintage2021 Our vines are fit and healthy and we believe in their ability to grow more buds. We will be there with the team (Marie and Wilfred) next week to protect any buds that have survived when the next bout of frost comes.
In ‘Inside Bordeaux’ by Jane Anson, she states that the Gironde estuary, formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne just downstream of the center of Bordeaux, “has a big impact on temperature in the nearby vineyards. Vineyards within 15km of this large body of water feel the benefit of more moderate temperatures – cooler in the summer, and less risk of frost in winter and spring.” There is also the warmth generated by the urban center of Bordeaux that helps protect vineyards nearby. You can see on the map above that areas in the Medoc next to the river were minimally impacted by frosts, but some of the vineyards further inland saw significantly lower temperatures which they are estimating will result in substantial crop loss.
At Château Lynch Bages, a 4th growth estate located in Pauillac, they reported that their “red young shoots remained fortunately unscathed” as they benefit from the proximity of the Gironde River. However, their “white grape varieties located further inland, in cooler area, were partially affected.”
Château Lynch Bages: “Very sadly this week, some frost damage was reported in the French vineyard. Here in Pauillac, we benefit from the proximity of the Gironde river, and our red young shoots remained fortunately unscathed (left). However, our white grape varieties located further inland, in cooler areas, were partially affected. (right) Our thoughts go out to our fellow winemakers whose hopes have been shattered.”
What about the rest of France?
As mentioned above, every wine producing region in France was impacted. The Rhone Valley was particularly hard hit, especially Côte-Rôtie. It has been reported that Philippe Pellaton, president of Inter-Rhône, predicts that the region is heading for its smallest harvest in 40 years, with some estates losing their entire crop. Burgundy is reporting losses of around 50% of the 2021 harvest. Chardonnay was more affected than Pinot Noir because the shoots were more advanced. In Chablis, the temperature dropped to as low as -7C. It is being reported that only Alsace and large parts of Champagne and the Cognac region were somewhat spared from the devastating impact this time.
How do winemakers try to mitigate the frost?
There are several ways winemakers can mitigate the threat of frost, however none of these guarantee protection and they all come at a significant cost, meaning many winemakers cannot even afford to protect their vines. Insurance for vines also comes at a premium which few winery owners can afford. So ultimately, much of France’s vines are left to fend for themselves against the elements. For those who can afford to implement some measures, these are their options:
Fire
You will have undoubtedly seen the striking images of the French vineyards over the last couple of weeks, seemingly ablaze in a dazzling display of defiance. These scenes are made up of thousands of individual candles which are used to raise the temperature of the air surrounding the vines. Using fire would seem like a cost effective option however between 300-400 candles are required per hectare (2.5 acres) and at a cost of 10 euros per candle which burns for only 12 hours, the costs can soon add up. In Bordeaux, the average size of a vineyard is 17 hectares meaning a cost of over 60,000 euros for every 2-3 nights of frost for an average size winery. A cheaper alternative using the same technique is to light bales of hay and/or straw but these large individual fires can leave sizeable areas exposed. On top of that you have the environmental impact to consider, rounding out the downsides of this option.
Château Angélus: “As we feared, we experienced two nights of spring frost with temperatures below -2 ° C from 2 a.m. All the teams fought to protect the Angelus vineyard by means of wind towers and candles. These efforts made it possible to keep the temperatures above the vine's freezing point, and thus not to deplore any major damage to Château Angélus.” ⠀
Château Seraphine: “A second night of broken sleep and early morning vineyard visits.”
Wind
Another natural element which can be used to fend off mother nature is wind. Either fixed or mobile turbines can be used to agitate the air, sending cold air skywards to standardize temperatures and maintain a slightly warmer temperature at ground level. These are effective to -4°C/25°F, but once again they do not provide any guaranteed protection as they are rendered ineffective in the event of strong winds. In terms of cost, you’re looking at in excess of 8,000 euros per hectare for a permanent installation. Another option is to use helicopters hovering above the vines to push warm air to the ground. Given that this can require several helicopters per estate, this option can be eye wateringly expensive and can only be afforded by the top wineries in each region. The other downside is that in many places, including Bordeaux, helicopters are not permitted to fly before 6am or 7am which is often too late to start fighting plunging temperatures.
Château Haut Bailly: “Thank you for the many messages of support received from all over the world during the recent frost in early April. It is our turn to relay on all our friendly sentiments to those whose situation is much more difficult than ours.
The Haut-Bailly vineyard is generally spared from the majority of the morning frosts, thanks to its topography on a gravelly hilltop. But on the 7th and 8th of April, like everywhere in France, we suffered a cold snap, with intense black frosts lasting 7 hours each night. On the first night, a menacing wind also contributed greatly to most of the damage.
It was a terrible frost, as it happens every 30 years: more severe than in 2017, but less catastrophic than in 1991 thanks to the measures taken by our team. The installation of wind turbines - accompanied by large candles - worked well in some areas but could not protect the entire vineyard.
We will never get used to these tragic episodes of frost which remind us how much we are dependent on nature. Terribly frustrating, frost can wipe out all our best ambitions for the new year in the matter of a few hours. The work of the earth is a work of great humility.”
Water
The third natural element which can be used to fight frost is an interesting one; water. It would seem counterproductive to douse the vines in water ahead of a frosty night however, this is actually a fairly effective technique down to -7°C/19°F. As the water freezes, it encapsulates the buds to form a protective cocoon to protect against the frost. By spraying water continuously, the vine shoots can be maintained at a protective -0°C/32°F, as long as temperatures don’t dip too low. Once again, using one of nature’s elements doesn’t come cheap. A vine sprinkler system can easily cost in excess of 10,000 euros per hectare and is reliant on an abundance of water nearby such as a river. Ironically, bodies of water such as rivers can often protect against frost so it is the properties not close to bodies of water which would benefit from such a system the most. Additionally, the amount of water required for this method calls into question its sustainability.
Credit: Yann de la Calle
Credit: Yann de la Calle
What other options do wine makers have?
As a result of changing and extreme climate patterns, winemakers have started to experiment with different grape varieties to see if they may be better adapted to respond to the mother nature’s changes. For example, wine makers can look at other varieties that flower later in the year which would help mitigate the risk of frost damage.
A prime example of this change is why Bordeaux went from being a majority white growing region to a red growing region. In 1956 there was a devastating frost that destroyed a large portion of the vineyards on Bordeaux’s right and left banks. The frost was so severe, enormous portions of entire vineyards needed to be replanted as the vines had been killed off. As a result, château owners and winemakers began to reevaluate the makeup of their vineyard and decided to rip out and replace with varietals that they thought were more suited to the terroir - switching mainly to red grape varieties. The fact that red grape vines bud later than white ones, a factor that helps mitigate against an impact from frost, was an added benefit. (Read more about Bordeaux white wines)
Just earlier this year, France's Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualite (INAO) officially approved adding six new grape varieties to the six red and eight white varieties already permitted to be used in bottles of Bordeaux. All of these new varieties were specifically chosen for their potential to flourish even in the less hospitable conditions caused by global warming. The newly approved varieties are four reds—Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan, and Touriga Nacional—and two whites—Alvarinho and Liliorila—all of which are described as "well-adapted to alleviate hydric stress associated with temperature increases and shorter growing cycles." While this option is currently only available to those winemakers located in AOC Bordeaux, Bordeaux Superieur, Bordeaux Blanc and AOC Entre-deux-Mers, and will only be allowed for up to 5% of vines and 10% of the final blend, it will be interesting to see how quickly (and if) these new varieties will be adapted.
When will we know the exact amount of damage?
Only time will tell the full extent of the damage inflicted upon these vineyards as the wineries wait to see what state in which the vines emerge from this cold snap. Because the frost occurred in early April, there is still a chance that shoots will be able to grow if they have not been completely frozen. New and more precise estimates of damage are expected to be announced in May.
As global warming continues to cause changes in the growing cycles, it will be interesting to see how wine makers and their governing bodies adapt. In the meantime, we wish all the winemakers out there strength in their continued adaptation to climate change.