rally car in vineyard
rally car in vineyard
(Image credit: rally car in vineyard)

A French winemaker who saw a world-class rally driver skew off the road and into the heart of his vines has played down the damage caused.

Norwegian rally driver Petter Solberg lost control of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC and plunged into vineyards in Alsace during the Rallye de France event.

Solberg and his co-driver were unhurt in the crash, which happened in the Epfig region, but winemaker Daniel Wolfer‘s lush green vines were not so lucky.

Still, Wolfer took a light-hearted approach to the incident when contacted by Decanter.com. ‘He took a tour of my vineyards,’ he said.

‘Of course, we will have to repair the damage, but there is always work for us to do and it was not too bad.’ He added he remains optimistic about the 2012 harvest, with grapes showing ‘good character’.

Jean-Claude Wolffer, whose son Xavier filmed the video of Solberg’s crash, said the car ploughed through around 50 feet of vines, before hitting an electric pilon and coming to a stop.

‘Most spectators were in shock after the accident, but a few were laughing at the driver’s mistake,’ he told Decanter.com. See his son’s video below.

YouTube YouTube
Watch On

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.