Wildfires in Europe take a toll on Vinyards
As wildfires sweep through southern France’s Aude region, winemakers and farmers point to the disappearance of moisture-rich vineyards—once natural firebreaks—as a key reason for the rapid spread of the flames. The loss has renewed calls to protect these green buffers, as climate change drives increasingly frequent and intense fires.
Across Europe, wildfires have erupted under extreme heat warnings. In Aude, a fierce blaze that began last week has killed one person, injured more than 20, and scorched over 17,000 hectares. Now contained, it is believed to be France’s largest wildfire in more than 70 years, with some reports suggesting it may have been sparked by a discarded cigarette butt.
In the Corbières area, the destruction has been severe. Winemakers in Greece, Italy, France, and Portugal remain on alert, bracing for a potentially difficult harvest. In Aude, years of vine removal—driven by falling wine consumption and state subsidies—have stripped away a natural defense against wildfires. Nearly 5,000 hectares of vineyards have been lost in the past year alone, leaving the region more exposed.
The fire began in the village of Ribaute, in a rural, wooded wine-growing area. Between 8 and 9 square kilometers of vineyards burned, with officials estimating that 80% of local vines were destroyed or damaged. Even surviving grapes are expected to suffer from smoke taint, reducing the chances of producing quality wine.
Some vineyards acted as natural firebreaks, leaving small pockets of green amid blackened hills, but large stretches of historic vines were reduced to ash. For many producers, the disaster compounds years of hardship from drought and extreme weather, threatening the viability of local wine production.
Elsewhere in Europe, Italy has suffered similar losses. A wildfire on Mount Vesuvius destroyed centuries-old vineyards of Lacryma Christi in the Vesuvio DOP wine region. The blaze, which began on August 8, has consumed more than 500 hectares of vegetation on the volcano’s southern slopes near Somma, Terzigno, and Ottaviano. Hundreds of valuable old vines were burned or coated in ash, wiping out grapes just before harvest. The full impact on the vintage remains uncertain.
