Floods Bordeaux
Floods Bordeaux
(Image credit: Floods Bordeaux)

Heavy rain in the Bordeaux region has led to flooding in some low-lying vineyards.

Flooded vines near Langoiran. Image: Getty/AFP Jean-Pierre Muller

‘All the properties next to the river and some slightly beyond have been flooded,’ said Youmna Asseily, winemaker at Chateau Biac. ‘Some areas are still under water.’

Biac was unaffected, because it sits on a hill overlooking the Garonne. ‘We are a bit like Mount Ararat, waiting for Noah’s Ark to appear,’ said Asseily.

Too much water is the ‘number one enemy for the roots of the vines’, because it can ultimately lead to dilution of aromas and flavour in the grapes, she added.

Other areas around Bordeaux do not appear to have had so many problems, despite weather alerts across the region over the past week.

Gavin Quinney, owner of Chateau Bauduc, told decanter.com that neither he nor his chateau-owning friends near the Garonne river at Cerons, in the Graves, have been flooded.

Written by Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.