Budburst in the South of France brings initial concerns over frost

iticulturists in the South of France are busy wrapping up their admin duties. At the Co-operative Wine Institute (ICV), Thomas Gautier is planning his first tour of the vineyards in the Hérault area. “Winegrowers won’t be getting their spraying equipment out next week, but the accumulation of heat over the winter and the return of damp weather over the past few days is bringing the roots out of their dormancy”, said the viticulture consultant on March 4. “The buds are swelling and becoming white, and some young vines and Chardonnay already have visible leaf tips”.

In Pézénas, grape grower Bastien Genieys is even seeing the first leaves emerge in Chardonnay blocks that have only just undergone preliminary pruning. “I went over them with the machine at the end of the week to try and delay the process, but I’m concerned that it won’t make much difference if there’s frost in April”.  

Leaves are also emerging in Chardonnay and Muscat vineyards along the coastline in the Pyrénées-Orientales region near the Spanish border. “At the moment, it’s only in the blocks with clay soils that have good water supply and not for Carignan, Grenache or inland vineyards”, comments ICV technician Laurent Duret. At the end of February, gentle rainfall replenished the first few centimetres of soil in Languedoc. “All it would take now is for temperatures to start rising a little for vines to go into overdrive”, warns Thomas Gautier.

At the visible leaf tip stage, vines can withstand temperatures dropping to -5°C, and Gautier is generally not concerned about damage from frost over the next 10 days. In fact, depending on their choice of techniques, he even recommends that growers make the most of it to mow or destroy their winter cover crops. “The vintage is getting off to an early start, but the soils still have time to rest before the hazardous time of year starts. Subsequently, they shouldn’t be touched until April 15”, he advises.