Penedès hit by severe hailstorm

Catalan grape growers praying for water have had their prayers answered, but not in the way they had hoped. A hailstorm that fell on 1 June in the Penedès region of Catalonia devastated an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 hectares of vines. Hardest-hit areas might see any chances of a 2024 harvest completely wiped out.

This is the latest in a series of unfortunate weather events for the Spanish region, which faced a bout of mildew in 2020 and has been under severe drought alert for much of 2024.

Catalan wine publication Vadevi published a map of the storm’s path drawn by local growers. It shows a vertical line from Sant Joan de Mediona to Cubelles, cutting straight through Vilafranca de Penedès. The worst-affected vineyards were in the towns of Santa Margarida i els Monjos, Castellet i la Gornal, Sant Martí Sarroca and Font-rubí.

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