French vineyard fires could push up price of rosé

French rosé could be hit with hefty price hikes after  devastating wildfires swept across the south-east of the country.

A blaze which broke out in the Var region, close to the French Riviera, was spread by strong winds is thought to have affected several vineyards

Provence’s wine producers’ association, the CIVP, is currently assessing the damage – with 73 wineries and five cooperatives hit. .

Jeany and Stephen Cronk, the founders of the Maison Mirabeau winery, who also bought the Domaine Mirabeau vineyard in 2019.warned any hit to supplies will likely to push up prices.

Mt Cronk told the BBC: “There are three vineyards close to us which have been completely destroyed, it’s truly devastating

“For us, it’s uncertain whether we will harvest or not. Personally, it’s heartbreaking. We’ve been hit by two ‘once-in-a-generation’ frosts, and now comes the worst forest fire in decades.

“We need to think more about climate change, and whether we are doing enough to protect these forests.

“We hope this will serve as a further wakeup call that these types of events will be more frequent and more devastating. We must do our best to prevent them from happening again.”

Th devastating fires are just the latest problem to hit French wine producers. In April, heavy frosts destroyed buds on grapevines in the vineyards of Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Languedoc and the Rhône valley.

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