In Corsica, “mild weather prevented vines from going dormant”

n Haute-Corse, Léo Hauser is concerned as he walks through some of the 930 hectares of vines belonging to members of the Aghione winegrowers’ co-operative. “What worries me the most is the poor lignification of the wood. Mild weather has prevented the vines from resting”, he says.

As head viticulturist, he hopes that the vines will have enough reserves to get through the winter and enough energy to grow buds in the spring, especially as some are already at the woolly bud stage.

Anne-Gaëlle Dubreuil-Lachaud, a viticultural adviser for the Haute-Corse chamber of agriculture, has already seen a few cases of budburst and bleeding in pruned vineyard blocks in the Patrimonio region and in the south of the island. “Often with Niellucciu, newly planted vines or mixed plantings”, she says. Hauser hopes that the return of cold weather will force the vines to ease up. “If it continues like this, in a few years’ time we'll end up like the Australians, putting them on hormones to make them go into dormancy”, he jokes.

The lack of water is also raising questions for the region's industry members. “Will winegrowers have to irrigate from winter onwards? Several consultants are recommending it, including the Natoli laboratory, particularly in Balagne, a region that was particularly hard hit over the last season”, recounts Dubreuil-Lachaud. At the start of 2022, Hauser remembers calling several consultants on the mainland to find out whether he should start irrigation. “They had a tendency to say yes, but in the end it rained”. The issue will be back up for discussion if the rainfall forecast during the week does not sufficiently replenish the available water reserves.