COGNAC PRODUCTION WILL BE GOOD THIS SEPTEMBER 2018

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Even with a dry summer the production of grapes in Cognac are looking goodaccording to the BNIC by 31st August 2018.
"Quasiment pas de pluie lors de la semaine passée. Dans l’ensemble le vignoble supporte bien cette sécheresse, toutefois certaines parcelles montrent des symptômes déjà marqués : jaunissement du feuillage, baies petites et molles. Les températures encore élevées en milieu de semaine provoquent de nouveaux dégâts d’échaudage. Elles se rafraîchissent nettement en fin de semaine."

Source: http://www.cognac.fr/cognac/_fr/4_pro/index.aspx?page=actualite&id=7501&src=flash

Hence, the Government and Cognac Society (BNIC) have agreed for a rather high rate of harvest per hectar of vineyard for the production of cognac, i.e., 14,64 hl AP /ha.
This decision follows a rather large demand for cognac in 2018 with + 8,2% in volume and 5,4% in value on 31st juillet 2018.
"Confirmant un besoin total de 914 700 hl AP, la filière Cognac a validé, au sein de la Section ODG du BNIC, un rendement annuel Cognac 2018 à hauteur de 14,64 hl AP /ha. Ce chiffre, issu du Business Plan Cognac a été entériné ce jour dans le cadre du Comité Régional INAO. Cette décision collective et unanime répond à la forte demande des marchés et à la croissance des expéditions ... et ... tient compte de la capacité du vignoble affecté par les aléas climatiques et des dernières estimations de récolte de la Station Viticole du BNIC."

Source: http://www.cognac.fr/cognac/_fr/4_pro/index.aspx?page=actualite&id=7505&src=flash

HAILSTORM IN COGNAC

Hailstones 'the size of pigeon eggs' devastate Bordeaux vineyards

Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/
David Chazan
27 MAY 2018

Hailstorms have devastated thousands of acres of prime Bordeaux vineyards, prompting the French government to promise support for winegrowers, some of whom have lost their entire crop.
Cyril Giresse, a winegrower, said hailstones "the size of pigeons' eggs" destroyed grape buds and left vines bare on Saturday.

"The storm lasted only about 15 minutes, but in some places, there's nothing left at all," said Mr Giresse, who runs the Château Gravettes Samonac in Bordeaux's Côtes de Bourg appellation. "No leaves, no grapes, just the vines stripped as if the grapes had all been picked."
Jean-Dominique Château, another claret producer, said: "I've got nothing left. I've been growing grapes for 33 years and this is the worst storm I've ever seen. Last year we lost 40 per cent of our crop to hail but this year it's going to be an even worse disaster."

Stéphane Travert, the agriculture minister, said the government was assessing the extent of losses and would aid wine producers. "We'll take the necessary measures and we're ready to meet Bordeaux winemakers," he said.

Franck Jullion, the head of the producers' association in the "Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux" appellation, said: "It's a desolate vista, as if the vines had gone back to winter. Estates hit by frost last year will not recover. We're going to need a lot of support and solidarity."
Saint-Emilion, one of the most prestigious Bordeaux appellations, was spared, but parts of Médoc were badly hit, as were Cognac brandy producers in the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments.

Didier Gontier, director of the Côtes de Bourg appellation, said: "Winegrowers say they've got no vines left for next year so this is going to affect two years of production."
Bordeaux is France's largest wine-growing area, with about 300,000 acres of vineyards producing more than 700 million bottles of claret a year, ranging from cheap table wines to some of the world's most acclaimed and expensive vintages.

French wine and spirits exports amounted to more than £11 billion last year.
Wine industry leaders have opposed moves to tighten 1991 laws restricting alcohol advertising. President Emmanuel Macron has backed them, saying he drinks wine at lunch and dinner.
He has infuriated doctors by minimising public health concerns over wine and arguing that spirits and beer pose more of a problem because they are favoured by binge-drinkers.

BNIC PREDICTS THAT THE 2017 COGNAC HARVEST WILL BE ON 10TH SEPTEMBER

 

Cognac landscape photo

Harvest was initially expected on 15th Sept. but it has been moved earlier to the 10th September according to Bureau National Inteprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC). Average date for harvest is historically approx. 23rd Sept.

The BNIC expects that the 2017 will be the smallest harvest since 1945 due to various weather conditions and in particular the late frost in May.
In late August 2017, the average acidity was 11.1 g/L H2SO4 for a  pH of 2.8 and with a potential alcohol % of 7.4%.

The area of the Cognac AOC not damaged by frost can expect 110 to 120 hecto liter per hectar of wine, whereas the frozen vineyard areas will only make 40 to 50 hl/ha, which will make a potential harvest on average for 2017 of 80-90 hl/ha.

Normally, the average is over 100 hl/ha, with an average for the past 10 years being of 107 hl/ha.
This is caused by the lower number of grapes per bunch with 37.5 grapes per bunch compared to the average of 53.5 grapes for the past 10 years.

Surprisingly, the grapes bunch weighted about 420g which is well above the 10 years average of 357g.
The BNIC recommends harvesting grapes with a rate of alcohol of 8.5 to 10.5% for an total acidity above 7.5 g/l H2SO4.

Source: Vitisphere

COGNAC MIGHT BE LOOSING 60% OF ITS HARVEST DUE TO BAD WEATHER

Cognac vineyard, landscape

A little bit of rain on Wednesday 26th April yesterday and -5 degrees celsius this morning at 5am caused an estimated 60% loss of  potential harvest. Today, the authorities are meeting to review the situation.

Early in the morning, producers were setting camp fires in every corners of their vinyards. Some went all the way to hire the service of helicopters to fly over the vineyards to mix the air in hope of rising the temperatures.

This is not good!

2014 IS A GOOD HARVEST IN COGNAC!

In Charentes, the home of cognac, volume is predicted to climb 12 percent to 8.82 million hectoliters from 7.88 million hectoliters, with a warm and dry September halting the development of botrytis and mildew fungal disease.

Harvest of the ugni blanc grapes used for distilling cognac started late September, with “clearly” higher-than-usual grape weight compensating for a reduced fruit count. 80% of the harvest suffered from difficult climates during the summer with hailstorms earlier in the summer mid june to late June. And a rainy summer, with a cooler than usual August. September was surprisingly sunnier which allowed for a last minute recovery of the situation.

99% of the producers have completed their harvest as of today.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwZ5TCcE8bk&w=560&h=315]

Distilling cognac will start in 3 weeks. Regulations allow distillation to be operated from 15th November to 31st March. Right now producers are focused on fermenting their juices into wines in times for the 4 1/2 months distilling season.

9 liters of wine with 9% Alc/Vol will produce 1 liter of eaux-de-vie with 70% Alc/Vol. Eaux-de-vie is the name of the spirit produced from distillation. Only after it is aged 2 years in oak barrels, the eaux-de-vie is then called cognac.

2014 COGNAC HARVEST IS OVER WITH GOOD PROSPECTS

In Charentes, the home of cognac, volume is predicted to climb 12 percent to 8.82 million hectoliters from 7.88 million hectoliters, with a warm and dry September halting the development of botrytis and mildew fungal disease.

Harvest of the ugni blanc grapes used for distilling cognac started late September, with “clearly” higher-than-usual grape weight compensating for a reduced fruit count. 80% of the harvest suffered from difficult climates during the summer with hailstorms earlier in the summer mid june to late June. And a rainy summer, with a cooler than usual August. September was surprisingly sunnier which allowed for a last minute recovery of the situation.

99% of the producers have completed their harvest as of today.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwZ5TCcE8bk&w=560&h=315]

Distilling cognac will start in 3 weeks. Regulations allow distillation to be operated from 15th November to 31st March. Right now producers are focused on fermenting their juices into wines in times for the 4 1/2 months distilling season.

9 liters of wine with 9% Alc/Vol will produce 1 liter of eaux-de-vie with 70% Alc/Vol. Eaux-de-vie is the name of the spirit produced from distillation. Only after it is aged 2 years in oak barrels, the eaux-de-vie is then called cognac.