Harvesting promises to be early in Beaujolais

ate budburst was welcomed this year in Beaujolais as it enabled the region to avoid the heavy losses from spring frosts incurred in 2021. “Frost hit on the same date as last year, so fortunately most of the buds were still protected”, explains Rémi Vincent, head viticulturist at Jean Loron, which has six vineyards in Beaujolais.

Florence Hertaut, head of the viticulture team at the Rhone chamber of agriculture, who is tasked with monitoring progress in the growing season across Beaujolais, confirms that budburst occurred around 12 April, thereby protecting vineyards from the damage witnessed in 2021. “With average temperatures close to normal, the first quarter of 2022 was fairly normal, before temperatures started to soar in May”, she continues.

Across the network of vineyard plots monitored by the teams at the Rhone chamber of agriculture, Hertaut reports that the average temperature in May was three degrees above the monthly average. “This is the third earliest year since 1992, with flowering ending around 28 May on average in our network of plots across Beaujolais, which is two days earlier than the early vintage of 2020”, says the viticulture advisor. Growers are therefore certain that harvesting will begin in August.

Although staff at the chamber of agriculture have yet to start counting clusters, Hertaut says that output is good, with the pea-size stage reached across the wine region.