The Ice Saints in Burgundy

Every year the Ice Saints are back. This happens in May over a period of 3 days, the 11th (Saint Mamert), the 12th (Saint Pancrase) and the 13th (Saint Servais), they are particularly feared by the winegrowers since a risk of cold and frosts on the vines can be important at this time of year. Following the descent of air of polar origin…

A few lines about this old European popular belief, it all begins in 470 AD. Archbishop Saint Mamert instituted the Days of the Rogations from May 11 with the aim of preventing the risk of disasters for crops, through various prayers around agricultural sites such as vineyards during these three days.

Today, do not look for these three saints in the calendar, the Catholic Church has replaced them since 1960. In order to alleviate concerns around agriculture.

Why are Burgundy winemakers so afraid of the Ice Saints?

Indeed, we can observe cold air descents in Burgundy during this period, which leads to frosts at night even though the days are mild thanks to the sunshine. This is likely to greatly reduce the harvest volume of winegrowers.

Therefore, winegrowers are advised to protect their vines when the temperature drops, such as watering the vineyards so that the temperature of the bud does not fall below 0 degrees.

We can also prefer heat in order to fight against frost, light candles for the purpose of protecting the buds from the next harvest.

The consequences related to frost can manifest themselves at the bud, this will reveal a brown or black coloration up to the point of insertion on the branch. On it, a cross-section can reveal a liber (it is a thin layer usually of green color located below the bark and through which the elaborate sap circulates) brown or grayish. The ends of the branches wilt and dry out being more fragile.

This will result in a loss of yield that will affect the work of a year for the winemaker.

As the saying goes "When the Saint Urbain has passed, the winemaker is reassured"… so patience until May 25th!

In the news, this is what happened in nearby regions: