INAO authorises use of anti-hail netting

The INAO has authorised the use of anti-hail netting in French vineyards following several years of tests in Burgundy.

The use of netting was officially approved on 20 June this year.

Every one of France’s AOC will be able to apply to use anti-hail netting after tests run in Burgundy since 2015 showed that their impact had a, “very limited influence on the mesoclimate of the vine and does not artificially modify or change substantially the fundamental characteristics of the local area in question,” said the INAO.

As such, the institute said in a statement: “This type of material is compatible with the production of AOC wine,” but, “the use of nets should be limited to minimise the effect of too much shade.”

As mentioned above, the governing bodies of each AOC must apply to add netting into their cahiers des charges but the INAO promised that the implementation would be swift in each case and largely “a formality”.

The news will be welcome relief to growers across the country as a run of severe hailstorms have wrought considerable damage throughout French vineyards recently, sometimes in consecutive years.