Burgundy still evaluating frost damage

Three weeks after severe frosts, Burgundian winemakers are still waiting to evaluate the exact toll but are resigned to a smaller than average 2016 harvest.

Initial reports have already made clear that close to half of the viticultural area has been damaged by around 30% and producers already know that yields will be down on 2015 levels.

The frosts were the worst seen in the region since 1981 and no one area was left unaffected from Chablis to the Mâconnais.

An update today from the Burgundy Interprofession (BIVB) stated that: “The 2016 harvest will certainly be less than the average, but Burgundy can count on its slightly elevated stocks thanks to the excellent 2014 and 2015 vintages.”

These stocks, the BIVB continued, would allow the region’s producers to continue to supply demand from their key markets.