Vintage 2007 in progress: weather
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Weather. It’s probably not something you talk a lot about except for when you are trying to have polite conversation with your aunt at the family reunion. But for wine grape growers it’s a point of discussion.
And this year has been wet in France. The total rainfall hasn’t been astronomical but it’s just rained almost every day for the past six weeks and there’s a lingering humidity. Take Vinexpo: it’s been mostly sunny but it has rained at some point during every day that I’ve been here.
one evening, a fierce storm came out of nowhere and included golf-ball-sized hail. I grabbed one from outside the tent where I was finishing a wonderful dinner and snapped a bad pic. I circled the big hailstone above. Also of note in photo: Chateau Saint Pierre 2002. Mmmm.
And it’s been damp all over France. I was talking with Nicolas Joly from Savennieres in the Loire and he said that he had never seen the vine flower this early.
What does all this mean? Well, perhaps not more than some wet raincoats. But at some point, a string of sunny days would be good to dry things out. But in hoping for heat, you have to be careful what you wish for.
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On June 21st, 2007 at 1:40 pm ,leftymn wrote:
Interesting on the vine budding… as a point of interest.. flowers and shrubs in N America also budded this season almost 10-14 days ahead of normal across the USA… lilacs bloomed in Minnesota fully 2 weeks ahead of normal average…
Most of Europe has had a drought this year, so it is interesting to hear your comment re France.Maybe it is more limited to the coastal and maritime climatic regions such as Bordeaux?
On June 22nd, 2007 at 1:46 am ,Dr Vino’s wine blog » Blog Archive » Da Vinci Code, Bordeaux edition: vintage 2007 wrote:
[...] it said that the string of unlucky sevens has to break this time around. As much relies on the weather, it will be a roll of the [...]
On June 26th, 2007 at 3:16 pm ,Terry Hughes wrote:
Some drought. The rain was very heavy and the damp very persistent for at least 6-8 weeks in Italy. Early this month people in different regions, including Puglia, were worried about mold and an early, crummy harvest. They’re not betting much on 2007. 2006 wasn’t too great in most of Italy for similar reasons (in August).
The weather’s warmed up again but of course these conditions make hail a bigger threat than ever.
On August 9th, 2007 at 3:41 pm ,Helen Hinde wrote:
Can anyone tell me what the likely start date of the Beaujolais vintage is likely to be?
On September 13th, 2007 at 9:58 am ,Dr Vino’s wine blog » Blog Archive » Overheard: if you are biodynamic, you’re not making wine in 2007 wrote:
[...] Related: “Bordeaux vineyards lose 90% of crop as rain and rot threaten French harvests” [Decanter.com] “Bordeaux 2007 in progress: weather” [Dr. V] [...]