“Even after the harvest, young vineyards still need to be protected”

ierre-Denis Tourette of the namesake nursery company in Ardèche witnessed losses of 20 to 30% at the start of the season in two-year-old vineyards. “Last year, they were amazing because there was no lack of water in the summer. But subsequently, mosaic downy mildew spread because winegrowers did not have time to treat them during harvesting. The vines were therefore not able to store enough reserves and some of them did not recover at the start of the season”, he explains. Mortality was particularly high in young Grenache vineyards, a variety that is very prone to downy mildew.

To prevent this from happening again, he is warning his customers of the importance of maintaining copper protection even after harvesting on young vineyards so that they are not defoliated and can store sufficient reserves. This year, another issue affected young vines – the heatwave at the start of June. When vines had been planted late – towards the end of May or beginning of June – in the South of France, extreme temperatures burnt the tops of the vines.

Tourette therefore stresses that vines should be planted early – in February or March – and preferably not after April 15, though he admits that weather conditions do not always allow growers to do this. Asked about frost risks, he says: “A young vine affected by frost will always resume growth easily. There are always secondary buds that produce shoots”. If weather conditions in February and March are not conducive to planting or administrative issues delay the process, Tourette believes it can be better to put off planting for another year rather than plant too late.