In Chablis vineyards, fear grows that destructive frosts may become the norm

Wine growers gather as heaters are lit early in the morning to protect vineyards from frost damage outside Chablis, France, April 3, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

PARIS (Reuters) - For French winemaker Thomas Ventoura, the spring frost that hit the Chablis vineyards of northeast Burgundy over the weekend has a bitter taste of déjà-vu.

Just as at the same time last year, Ventoura and his workers had to rush out and place hundreds of candles across his vineyards before daybreak to warm the vines and prevent the destruction of already well-developed shoots by temperatures that had plunged below freezing.