Hail deals 'catastrophic' damage to Burgundy vines

A summer hailstorm has caused "catastrophic" damage to prestigious vineyards in France's Burgundy region, with up to 70 percent of crops destroyed on some estates, local wine producers said Wednesday. The storms on Tuesday, which saw strong hail accompanied by high winds, caused widespread damage in some of France's best-known wine areas, including Cote de Beaune, Volnay, Pommard and Savigny-les-Beaune."It's catastrophic, some operations will not recover. There are losses of at least 30-40 percent, and that could rise to 70 percent," said Thiebault Huber, the head of the Volnay wine producers' union. He said such heavy hail could do damage to vineyards that can last up to three years. The storm was the latest in a string of difficulties to hit Burgundy wine producers, including flooding in the spring and hailstorms last year that destroyed 60 percent of crops on some estates. Two people were also hospitalised after Tuesday's storm. France's weather service was warning that more storms could hit on Wednesday.