North Rhône Valley vineyards harvested earlier than south

The harvest of the northern sector of the Rhône Valley has occurred prior to the southern sector due to favourable weather.

Following intense heat over the past few weeks and intermittent rain, the vines are in “excellent condition” in the northern sector. 

“The spring weather posed a number of challenges for growers in certain areas, but everything was back on track by the beginning of July,” said Françoise Dijon, manager of the vineyards’ Quality Monitoring Centre.

“Weather in the first half of August was particularly favourable, with a significant amount of rainfall to refresh the vineyards and help the berries swell.”

 

According to a report by the Rhône Valley, the southern sector of the vineyards experienced a mild and dry winter with limited hail.

From mid-June and throughout the summer, temperatures climbed well above the seasonal norm with August rains arriving in time to create “perfect conditions” for the end of the growing season.

 

Overall, the vines are reported to be “in excellent health” and the 2018 vintage looks “very promising”, with predicted yields far higher than the low levels seen in 2017.