Pursuits
Freak Grape-Razing Hail Crushes Burgundy Winemakers’ Dreams
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Hail the size of ping-pong balls brought William Rouxel’s future as a Burgundy winemaker crashing down along with his grapes.
With a season’s work destroyed by the summer hailstorm that trashed a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) swath of Burgundy vineyards producing some of France’s most-prized wine, the 35-year-old says he can’t risk another year like it. He’s calling it quits.