Beaujolais harvest reduced by half
Translated from the original French by SlaveToTheGrape
Le Monde.fr | • Par Laurence Girard
Since September 7th, harvesters have been very active in the vineyards of Beaujolais. They still have roughly two weeks worth of handling clippers. Yet, at the same time that “heaven” as the locals refer to the first juice extracted from the presses, flows abundantly, the mood here is not really one of elation. Simply stated, the producers of Beaujolais are set to harvest only half as many grapes as in 2011.
“We’re looking at 400 000 to 450 000 hectoliters, versus 852 000 hectoliters compared to last year”, says Jean Bourjade, lead delegate with the professional association Inter-Beaujolais. According to him, ”this is an unprecedented event for which no producer can recall a historical comparision.”
There is no doubt that the weather did not cooperated. A succession of violent, weather events caused output to plummet. Lengthy winter frosts – the Saône even saw some remarkable, limited ice formations – destabilized the vines, particularly in Beaujolais since old vines that are much more sensitive to cold are numerous here.
Hail fell repeatedly right up to the beginning of August sparing virtually no vineyard block. The only consolation: mildiou (mildew) and oïdium (fungal disease) that attacked the vine during a wet spring did not spread and the affected vines shriveled and fell. The remaining grapes are fewer but healthy.
“OPTIMISTIC VIEWS ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GRAPES”
“We remain very optimistic about grape quality”, affirmed Mr. Bourjade. As professional spokesperson he hopes that this punishment will a beneficial effect on prices postulating that the natural balance between supply and demand should be actualized.
“Today, he said, the wines of Beaujolais offer the best cost-to-value ratio on the market. However, certains Beaujolais villages (a quality tier between everyday Beaujolais and the cru – (sic)) are so cheap that consumers believe the wines are not of good quality. Even if there is a price hike between 80 cents to a dollar per bottle, these wines will remain very affordable.”
In spite of the likely price increases, this year’s harvest may prove very difficult for growers faced with a 50% in their production. “The situation over the next twelve months could be very challenging for those who are already facing economic difficulties”, specualtes M. Bourjade.
Beaujolais, which represents 18 000 hectares (approx. 40,000 acres) between Lyon and Mâcon, has already witnessed the loss of 3 000 hectares of vines between 2007 and 2009 as well as 1 000 hectares from 2010 to 2011.
Laurence Girard
Will American wines be allowed to use the term chateau on their labels?
Translated from the original French by SlaveToTheGrape
From Le Monde.fr | September, 14 2012
In a commuique published Friday, September 12th, the Federation of the great wine domains of Bordeaux (FGVB) has warned the European commission against trying to allow the mention “chateau” by wines produced in the United States and exported to Europe. “The European commission wants to cut a deal with American exporters allowing them to use the mention “chateau”, insists the Federation in its text.
The mention “chateau”, “refers to a wine of controlled quality and origin as defined by the appellation laws adhered to in France and mandates that 100% of the grapes be harvested from and vinified on the property,” affirms the FGVB adding that in the US, “grapes can come from different and numerous suppliers.” The communique warns against, “a distortion of the competitive guidelines with respect to the rules adhered to by French producers as well as a the duping of consumers.”
“This type of authorzation would create a precedent for all types of abuses of the entire range of synonyms involving wine production (domain, hospices, clos, cru),” laments Bernard Farges, president of the National Confederation of AOCs and vice-president of the FGVB, cited in the commuique.
The question will be taken up on the 25th of September by the Agricultural Markets Organizational Management Committee.
What constitutes a good vintage?
Translated from the original French by SlaveToTheGrape
Le Monde.fr | 09.2012 • September, 2012
With 42,5 million hectoliters (1 hectoliter = 26.4172052 US gallons) expected this year, versus 51 million last year, the 2012 harvest in France is one of the worst in volume “since 1991″, a situation ”essentially witnessed on a worldwide scale”, declared French minister of agriculture Stéphane Le Foll, on August 30th of this year. Industry professionals attribute this drop in volume to “the last several month’s climatic conditions [that] did not spare the vines, some of which were destroyed by frost and hail”. Conversely, “the vintage itself seems promising”, by their estimates.
Benjamin Bois, agronomist by training, is lead viticulture and climatology lecturer at the Institute of wine and viticulture at the University of Burgundy.
What constitutes a top vintage?
A top vintage is defined by its complexity, its aromatic depth and intensity and for some, by wines that are powerful, tannic and that exhibit color density. But of course there is always an element of subjectivity in any analysis. The reputation and the price of a wine are very dependent upon what the traders, brokers and the press such as Revue des vins de France and Wine Spectator have to say. In key regions like Bordeaux or Burgundy, these opinion makers come to taste these regions young wines — in November for Burgundy and in March for the futures market in Bordeaux — in an attempt to evaluate the vintage. A speculative effect can ensue based on a rumor that “this vintage is something exemplary”. A producer is not going to have the same vision as the buyer or the critic : for him, a top vintage is one where both quality and quantity are remarkable.
What factors are involved in the making of a great vintage?
The color, structure and backbone of a wine depend to a great degree on the polyphenols found in a grape – the production of which is directly tied to hydrolic stress. The more the vine is stressed – up to a certain point beyond which grapes no longer ripen —, the more it produces.The term vintage also has a very specific regional relationship where, from one year to the next, production conditions and more specifically phenolic ripeness, vary. Climate variability defines the uniqueness of the vintage for each region and is determinant to its quality.
The most important phase is that of maturation – roughly thirty days before the harvest. In Burgundy and in Bordeaux, neither of which have dry climates, heavy rains during maturation lead to undesirable wine grapes that being waterlogged yielding diluted wines.
Are climate conditions the only thing that impacts a vintage?
Wineries often have other strengths beginning with adept technicians. In difficult vintages, skilled oenologists know how to adapt and take risks, with the date of the harvest for example. Furthermore, the soil and exposure of certain types of terroir mitigate the effects of a challenging harvest. For example, thick clay soils have a tendency to retain significant water making it difficult for the vine to extract it from the soil. Thus the soil will subject the vine to hydrolic stress as if there had been little precipitation.
People are predicting a strong vintage this year. What is your assessment?
I am on the fence given that it was a wet year and bud break did not go well. We will have a better idea of the quality of the vintage twenty days after harvest.
Interview by Hélène Sallon
