Will Champagne producers ride the storm?
Wind, rain and hail has ravaged the Champagne region, with the loss of 10% of the 2000 crop. Giles Fallowfield assesses the damage. A week after the terrible hailstorm hit the Vallée de la Marne and Montagne de Reims, destroying some 1,500 hectares of vineyard and damaging a larger chunk, perhaps another 3,000 hectares, it is still difficult to analyse the effects on supply and demand within the market.