ブドウの品質低下に戦々恐々　猛暑で早まる収穫　仏

【パリＡＦＰ＝時事】猛暑のため、例年よりずっと早いタイミングでブドウの収穫が始まったフランス各地のワインメーカー。異常気象の影響で、ブドウの品質が低下するのではと不安を隠せない。（資料写真）
　異常な乾燥は、地中海沿岸エロー県の丘陵地帯から、通常は緑豊かな北東部アルザス地方にまで広がっている。
　今夏の激しい熱波でブドウの成熟が早まり、収穫のタイミングは例年よりも１～３週間以上前倒しとなっている。エロー県のあるラングドックルシヨン地方では、７月下旬に収穫を始めた農家さえある。
　「過去３０年以上やってきて、８月９日に収穫を始めたことなんてこれまでに一度もありません」とエロー県のブドウ園オーナー、ジェローム・デスペイさんは話した。

■水ストレス
　フランスのその他の農業と同様、ワイン醸造業も春の霜やひょう、季節外れの豪雨といった異常気象に長年悩まされてきた。そして、その頻度は年々高まっている。
　しかし、今夏の記録的な干ばつと暑さは、ブドウ園にとりわけ大きな被害をもたらしている。先月は、１９６１年以降で最も乾燥した７月となった。
　水分が不足すると「水ストレス」が起き、ブドウは葉を落として実に栄養分を供給しなくなる。成長を止めることで自らを守るメカニズムだ。
　アルザス地方のブドウ農家組合のジル・エルハート会長は「ここ２か月に雨は一滴も降っていません」と話す。
　また、２６日ごろから始まる収穫については、「今年の収量は非常に少なくなるでしょう」とした。
　気温が３８度を超えると「ブドウは日焼けし、干し上がってしぼみ、質も落ちる」と指摘するのは、リヨン南方アルデシュ県で「地理的表示保護制度（ＰＧＩ）」の会長を務めるピエール・シャンペティエール氏。その結果、ワインのアルコール度数が高くなり、規定値を超えてしまうと説明した。
　シャンペティエール氏は今年の収穫を８日に始めた。
　「４０年前は、９月２０日ごろから（収穫を）行っていた」と言う。地球温暖化の影響で、こうした時期尚早の収穫が今後は「当たり前」になるのではと不安を隠せない様子で語った。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/08/22-11:34）

Forced to start picking grapes much earlier than normal because of torrid temperatures, winemakers across France are worrying that grape quality will suffer from the climate-induced stress.
The exceptionally dry conditions spread from the rugged hills of Herault along the Mediterranean, where picking is already underway, to the normally verdant Alsace in the northeast.
Waves of extreme heat this summer accelerated grape maturation, meaning harvests had to begin one to three weeks early or more -- in Languedoc-Roussillon, some growers even started in late July.
We were all a bit surprised, they began maturing very rapidly these past few days, said Francois Capdellayre, president of the Dom Brial cooperative in Baixas, outside Perpignan.
He said the shears came out on August 3 for the region's typical muscat grapes, followed by chardonnay and grenache blanc.
In more than 30 years I've never started my harvests on August 9, said Jerome Despey, a vineyard owner in the Herault department.
- Stressed out -
Like other farmers, French winegrowers have been grappling for years with increasingly common extreme weather including spring freezes, devastating hailstorms and unseasonably heavy rains.
But this summer's combination of a historic drought -- July was the driest month on record since 1961 -- and high temperatures are taking a particular toll on vineyards.
Only 10 percent of France's winegrowing parcels use artificial irrigation systems, which can be difficult or prohibitively expensive to install.
And while grape vines are more hardy than many other crops, with roots that descend deep into the ground over years of growth, even they can withstand only so much.
When water is scarce, the vines suffer hydric stress and protect themselves by shedding leaves and no longer providing nutrients to grapes, stunting their growth.
In Alsace, we haven't had a drop of rain in two months, said Gilles Ehrhart, president of the AVA growers' association.
We're going to have a very, very small harvest after picking begins around August 26, he said.
And when temperatures surpass 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit), the grape burns -- it dries up, loses volume and quality suffers because the resulting alcohol content is too high for consumers, said Pierre Champetier, president of the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for the Ardeche region south of Lyon.
Champetier began harvesting Monday, when 40 years ago, we started around September 20, he said.
Now he worries that global warming will make such premature harvests normal.
- Quality at risk -
Some winemakers are still holding off in hopes of rain in coming weeks, such as red grape producers in Herault, where harvests should begin as usual in early September.
In Burgundy, which two years ago saw its earliest harvest debut -- August 16 -- in more than four centuries of keeping track, picking will start at cellars in Saone-et-Loire around August 25.
But just south in the Rhone Valley, the heatwave has accelerated maturation by more than 20 days compared to last year, according to the Inter-Rhone producers' association.
They nevertheless hope grape quality will hold up, as do Champagne growers in the northeast, where harvesting will begin late August -- though yields are set to fall nine percent year-on-year because of a brutal spring cold snap and hailstorms.
Bordeaux plans to kick off on August 17 with the grapes for the region's sparkling wines -- appreciated by connoisseurs but just one percent of overall production.
Next will come dry whites, sweet whites and then the reds, said Christophe Chateau of the CIVB producers' group, though the precise dates will be set only next week.
But he warned that even rainfall from storms forecast across France starting this weekend will not be enough to ensure a beautiful vintage.