2019-2020. Mildest winter in France for 120 years

Portrait of Nick Borland, wine tour guide
Nick Borland
August 2, 2021

The 2019-2020 winter has been the mildest in France for 120 years ! Temperatures averaged 2°C above normal for December and January, and 3°C  for Febuary ; a trend attributed to climate change which has been observed since the 1980s. Bud burst occured as early as January in some parts of Southern France-almost 2 months early ! Buds that have begun opening and have initiated the production of new leaves are very vulnerable and if the temperatures fall below -2°C/-3°C in damp conditions or -5°C/-6°C in dry conditions, the buds can abort and that year's production entirely compromised. A few days ago the vineyards of southern France, namely Provence and parts of the southern Rhone Valley, were severely hit by hardfrosts with temperatures plummetting to -6°C in places ! If the rest of the country has remained relatively spared up until today the weather forecast for the coming days is adding additional stress to wine growers in France who are already suffering from Trump's taxes,the Brexit, a health crisis and an ever-worsening economic situation !

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Portrait of Nick Borland, wine tour guide

About Nick

My professional experience in wine and tourism has been long and varied and has included, amongst others, working as a wine buyer and sommelier for boutique hotels, putting together wine lists for restaurants, a specialised wine tour guide for luxury hotel barges, a « wine hunter » for Scandinavian importers as well as organising and conducting wine-tastings to Wine Societies in the UK, Germany and Holland. I have also completed my WSET Level 3 and and obtained a certificate in Advanced Tasting Techniques from the Wine University in Suze-la-Rousse". I love sharing my knowledge of wine and spirits with people interested in the topics. I have a passion for how wine is made, from the methods used to the history of the grapes. If you would like to learn more about wine, join me in my Facebook group by signing up below to using the form. I talk about wines, answer all the questions you may have about it growing techniques, history, and even organise webinars for the group members where I talk about wine in a bit more detail. Hope to welcome you there soon!
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