The French nurseries that supply wine producers with vines face major challenges. At the end of June, 120 of them gathered to discuss the future. The most important thing they discussed is the withering of the vineyards that has been going on for some time now. Everywhere, the wine growers see how some of their vines grow weak, give lower yields and maybe die prematurely. This is due in part to the disease called esca and other related diseases which in French are called maladies du bois. These are fungal diseases that affect the vine and there is no cure for it.
But there are other reasons as well. It can be viruses, insects, water stress during drought, poor functioning ecosystems around the vineyard, wrong type of pruning, etc. 75% of the French vineyards are planted with grape varieties that are sensitive to much of this. And of course, this is not just France, but the whole of Europe. Several research programs are underway.
Read more on vinconnexion.com on how to fight it.
