Hailstorms hit Barolo zone

Two violent hailstorms have hit parts of the Barolo zone, causing serious damage.

The storms hit between 2am and 4am on Friday and were scattered among the territory’s communes.

La Morra and Serralunga d’Alba were the hardest hit, though the communes of Barolo, Verduno and Roddi were largely unaffected.

Producers fear the damage will affect the quantity of Barolo production for 2010.

Pietro Ratti confimed notable damage in his vineyards in La Morra, although the exact amount will not be known for a few days.

Danilo Drocco, winemaker at Fontanafredda in Serralunga, remarked that in the winery’s section of the Lazzarito cru in Serralunga, ‘50% of the crop is lost for the year.’

Sergio Germano, winemaker of Serralunga’s Ettore Germano estate, also noted serious damage in his Lazzarito plot, although his rows in the nearby Prapo and Ceretta vineyards of Serralunga were only minimally harmed.

While production will be down, producers it is too early to write off the 2010 vintage yet.

‘If this is the worst we get,’ Vaira said, ‘we will be alright.’

Written by Tom Hyland