Hailstorm are one of the largest yearly natural threats to European winemakers. The traditional wine countries like France and Italy have seen huge losses in the past 5 years due to hail and frost. The hail losses from 2012-2016 in some vineyards totalled 50-90% of the value of the crop, causing millions of Euros in losses, and long-term damage to many old vines.
It is not just these regions in France and Italy which are affected by hail. It is prevalent across most wine growing regions globally with at least 1 event per year of varying sizes; and depending on which phase of the growth, can cause damage to the single vintage or multiple vintages by damaging buds, leaves, grapes or the vines themselves, often needing special treatments or much additional work to save a proportion of the crop.
Top 5 broad wine regions for Hail:
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Mendoza, Argentina
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Piedmont & Italian Alps, Italy
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Cahul, Moldova
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Georgia
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Aragon, Spain
