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Provence cold snap affects 2017 wine harvest
Vineyards in the Vaucluse & Luberon damaged by frost
A drop in overnight temperatures in the past couple of weeks in the area between the north of Luberon and Mont Ventoux, has caused frost damage to a large number of vineyards and other crops
After a warm March the blossoms and crops had started to grow well, but temperatures dropped to around -5 °C around Bonnieux and neighbouring areas for just under a week, causing potentially catastrophic damage for some farmers.
The president of the local farmer's union told La Provence newspaper that a number of vineyards have suffered 50% losses in the frosts, with the majority of farmers in the region reporting 30-70% losses. Some have yet to see the effects on their crops until temperatures start to rise again.
The deputy mayor of Cavaillon has reported the damage to the Minister of Agriculture, as he fears that more regional produce such as cherries, plums, apples, apricot trees, table grapes and even lavender may be at risk too.
Thankfully the weather forecast this week looks less likely to be filled with heavy rains, as some farmers had feared, hopefully giving their crops time to recover.