April is deemed the most dangerous of months in vineyards up and down Europe, with late frosts threatening the newly-formed buds that have just started to develop.

But the attempts of an area of vineyards in south west France to counter the threat of frost has proved unpopular with the local community, residents nearby claiming ‘anti-frost’ turbines are so loud it’s akin to helicopters flying overhead.

The concerns of vintners in Saint-Ciers-Champagne in the Charente-Maritime area are real, a 2021 frost decimating the grape harvest, with a range of methods used to warm the air in the vineyards: turbines, heat lamps, helicopters and even water sprayed on vines to form an ice blanket around the buds, which prevents the water inside freezing.

“These big fans, equipped with two sails perched on a mast 12 metres up, automatically start when the temperature falls to 1.6C,” said Bruno Delannoy, President of the Vinet-Delpech distillery, whose vineyards produce grapes for Cognac. Talking to Le Figaro, he added: “They are able to capture less cold air, located higher up, and bring it to ground level to avoid the temperature dropping too much.”

But local Mayor Michel Vion says residents are having their sleep affected by noise pollution, and wants the vineyards to find alternatives to turbines. He said: “We’ve got 20-odd towers in the town. When they’re up and running, they emit 80 to 100 decibels of noise right into the town. When there is a lot of frost, as there was in April 2021, they operate ten days in a row for 12 hours flat, from 9pm to 9am. People can’t sleep. I’m against this type of equipment.”