French winemakers light candles in vineyards to try and save fruit from frost
If you normally travel to France to enjoy wine, you may be disappointed by this year's produce as severe frost threatens crops.
French farmers are fighting to prevent frost damage to vineyards and orchards in several regions of the country.
In recent days, they have been placing lit candles around the vineyards and spraying water to create a shell of ice around the buds.
But these efforts to save the harvest are often not enough and a large part of the crops are affected.
According to the Council of Bordeaux Wines this spring frost will severely impact the volume of the 2021 wine harvest.
"Peaches, nectarines, apricots will be rare on the shelves this year," says Daniel Sauvaitre, president of the national association of apples and pears. "We just need to know now if there are enough flowers that are still green to make a harvest," he told AFP.
"A couple of days are needed to measure precisely the extent of the damage," agriculture minister Julien Denormandie said on Thursday.