Famous wine region in Romania seriously affected by hailstorm
Several vineyards in the Prahova and Buzau counties in Romania, including those in the famous wine region of Dealu Mare, have been seriously affected by the hailstorm last week.
On Tuesday last week, over 3,000 hectares of vineyards were hit by hail. The hailstorm caused great damages in the Dealu Mare region, in some areas affecting the entire production for this year, local Libertatea reported.
Dealu Mare is a wine region with multiple vineyards located in the counties of Buzau and Prahova. Important wine centers are Pietroasele, Săhoteni, Tohani, Ceptura, Urlați or Valea Călugărească.
The residents of the Pietroasele – Breaza wine area said that last Tuesday it rained with pieces of ice the size of walnuts and the hills turned white, according to local Adevarul, which talked with some of the locals. For example, Marin Lupu, a vine grower in Buzau, said that the hail caused a “100% damage” in his case.
“It will be zero production from all the vines that should have had 10, 12 bunch of grapes. That would have been about two kilograms of grapes per vine,” the man said. He estimates loses of 7-8 tons per hectare after the hail last week, which means a significantly lower wine production this year.
The locals also complained that the anti-hail rocket system failed to keep the vineyards safe from hail. Agriculture minister Petre Daea said that 16 anti-hail rockets were launched in the area during the hailstorm, but they didn’t work because hail clouds allegedly formed at 11,000 meters altitude and the system only works up to 8,000 meters. The minister also said that 65 new launching points will be set up in the country, which could mean that, by 2020, 2.5 million hectares will be protected by this anti-hail rocket system.
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