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Burgundy Vintners Fight Sudden Freeze With Candles, Sprinklers and Wind Machines

Costly defenses spared many vines, with frost risk lingering into early May.

Overview

  • An abrupt drop to about -6°C in Chablis threatened early vine buds across Burgundy.
  • Crews lit thousands of candles, ran pellet boilers and wind towers, and used sprinklers that ice the buds to shield them from cold.
  • Temperature sensors in the fields pinged phones through the night to keep teams tending the gear.
  • Growers said protected plots held up well, but they expected losses where no equipment was in place.
  • The push strains budgets at about €10 per candle and more than 400 per hectare, and several producers expect losses to be less severe than the 2021 frost.