This Sunday evening, several communes in the Gers department were devastated by hail, destroying 80% to 100% of the harvest in some areas. Two storm cells followed one another, with intense hailstorms and up to 120 mm of rain in some areas.
The results of a short but violent hailstorm further weakened viticulture of Gers and Armagnac producers, who already suffered significant hailstorms in March 2025 and drought in August, which reduced the harvest volume.
The latest weather event, just before the harvest, wiped out a year’s work in less than ten minutes and compromised the harvest for an entire appellation. In some areas, grape clusters were literally torn off by hailstones, and in others, less affected, vine leaves were shredded and berries shattered.
The damaged grapes must now be harvested urgently, before gray mold sets in and ravages the rest of the harvest. “Out of 1,500 hectares of the Cave de Condom, 500-600 hectares have been damaged,” says Cédric Garzuel, the winery’s director, who was preparing to harvest Chardonnay, Sauvignon, and Cabernet for the rosés, but expected a larger volume in the coming days. “Now we have to harvest everything in eight days maximum, before the grapes rot.” This is a difficult goal to achieve, since the winery cannot accommodate a third of the harvest at a time, and the plots with clay-limestone soils remain impassable for harvesting machines, which must be called upon urgently.
The final damage toll has not yet been determined, but winegrowers in the Gers region are anticipating heavy losses this year, caused by two hailstorms in March and August 2025.
Photo Credit: vitisphere.com