Thursday 26 June 2003

STORM WRECKS VINEYARDS

A violent thunderstorm has wreaked havoc among the vineyards of the Gironde in the Bordeaux region of France.

The area around La Brède, Créon and Targon was hit by high winds and huge hailstones which destroyed some of this year's growth.

Said Maurice Carroll of wine and travel website, winedrive.com: "It was one of the worst storms ever to hit the vineyards and the hail was completely unexpected, especially at this time of year".

Madame Ardurats, whose vineyard, Château Magneau produces highly regarded red and white Graves, said about half her vines were completely destroyed but it was too early to say if this was the only damage.

Many vineyards at the centre of the storm have suffered even worse and producers are assessing how the damage will affect the year's vintage.

The storms hit this week as the world of wine attended VinExpo in Bordeaux in the highest temperatures for 70 years. To add to the exhibitor's discomfort, the air conditioning failed as the thermometer soared to 50°C.

Ends

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