Hedging this morning in Beaune 1er Les Toussaints – very tidy!

There’s been lots of rain but plenty of warm days too, so the work in the vines is unrelenting as everything grows so fast – mainly spraying and currently ‘hedging’ i.e. giving the vines a tidying haircut.

The spraying is currently a priority because of the relative warmth and humidity – i.e. the rain. There is mildew in the vines but, so-far, it’s under control but everyone would like the rain to stop and a dry wind to blow. After a couple of weeks with virtually daily storms of thunder and lightning, it looks like next week will be warm and sunny – just what the doctor ordered.

Regarding the storms, there has been a very small amount of localised hail, but given the frequency of the storms it’s remarkable that there is practically no damage – is that down to luck or down to the anti-hail network? Nobody can say for sure, but there are 3 networks:

• Chablis and Grand Auxerrois
• Côtes de Beaune, de Nuits and Chalonnaise
• Mâconnais and Beaujolais

In total there are 145 ‘generators’ (hail cannons) in Burgundy, and they have been use about 10 times up to the 11 of June. So, as long as there is no damage, the producers can pat themselves on the back as it was such a good investment!