An errand brought me through the worst-hit areas of Collio yesterday evening. I brought my camera for some pictures, but nothing prepared me for the devastation I witnessed in some vineyards.
These are NOT before and after photos. The healthy vineyard is one on my commute to work, and is placed just to contrast the damage. I won't reveal exactly which vineyards these were in Collio, to protect the vineyard owners, but I will say the worst damage I saw in vineyards for some pretty famous wines...
I spoke to Marjan Simcic and asked about the storm, which struck Saturday. He told me that the hailstorm started around midnight or 1am. Very unusual for a hailstorm, which tend to be an afternoon phenomena.
The hail wasn't large he said. A little more than an inch in diameter. He had seen 4-inch stones in the past... The devastation was caused by the fact that it hailed steadily for THIRTY MINUTES. (I experienced a hailstorm during the 2001 harvest and it lasted no more than 3 - 5 minutes with 2-inch stones and caused a fair amount of damage)...
Marjan suffered only minor damage, and no damage in his most prestigious vineyards. He was lucky. He said that the last time there was hail damage this bad in his area was 26 years ago...
ON THE EXACT SAME DATE.
Grapes that weren't stripped from the bunches were smashed and rendered useless. Shredded leaves left on the vine cannot conduct photosynthesis, turn brown and die. Damage to canes is so bad that in addition to a 100% percent loss in some vineyards, next years' season is also at risk...
I know well many people and many of the the wines of the affected areas of Plessiva, Ruttars, Farra and Villanova, this disaster is a loss that affects me deeply and personally... I feel for those who had worked so hard this year to have everything ruined in minutes...
