Early budding followed by very cold nights – set to continue this week – has left many European vines susceptible to dangerous spring frost damage. Vineyards in northern continental Europe, including Champagne, have certainly been affected, as has the Languedoc. Producer of last week's wines of the week, James Kinglake of Begude, reports he has lost a good 10% of his 2017 Chardonnay buds. Here Michael Schmidt reports on damage in southern Germany at the end of last week.
Growers in Baden-Württemberg fear the biggest losses through frost for 26 years. Temperatures dropped to -7 ºC (19 ºF) from...