The beginning of the growing season was very wet and ended with sunny days. The very contrasted 2018 vintage in Provence has not provided respite for wine-growers.
Heavy rains during spring due to storm events in South of France especially in the Arc Valley and the south-east of Aix-en-Provence has favoured mildew disease on leaves and grapes.
Thefore, to preserve production potential the winegrower’s work was more meticulous than ever before to obtain a successful vintage.
The summer was very hot with some heat waves while the nights were cooler than in Languedoc.
Mistral wind combined with the effect of cool temperature during nights led to good sanitary conditions particularly in inland parts while in the seaside vineyards the harvest was earlier because of higher dampness.
Due to a slow maturing and a dry September, harvesting has been spread over time to achieve a good maturation grapes.
After a small harvest in 2017 Provence gets back to the quantity but characterised by some heterogeneity. However the quantity in the North and the center of the Var department has fallen after the summer hailstorms.
Overall, 2018 will be more a Syrah style than Grenache sensitive to mildew disease. Wines have got medium structure with moderate acidity due to higher yield on cinsault grapes. Meanwhile vermentino are generous with good aromatic flavour.
