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© AFP/GETTY
Grape vines near Pommard in Burgundy that were seriously damaged after a summer hailstorm in 2013. The hail has struck again this year, ruining up to 70% of the crop.
Some of Burgundy's finest vineyards have had their hopes of a bumper harvest dashed after a fierce hail storm "machine-gunned" their vines for the third summer in a row, damaging up to 90 per cent of the plants in the worst-affected areas.

Hailstones as big as golf balls and strong winds on Saturday lashed France's Côte de Beaune region, which is home to the Santenay, Meursault, Volnay, and Pommard appellations.

"It was like a machine-gun attack," said Anne Parent, who makes Pommard wines, adding that the devastating hail storm lasted a mere three minutes.

It will be several days before winemakers can assess the full damage, but officials said that between 50 and 90 per cent of the harvest may be lost.

Hopes had been high that this year's harvest would be a good one as a wet spring followed by a hot and sunny June had provided perfect conditions for winegrowers.

"It's a catastrophe," said Jean-Louis Moissenet, the president of the Pommard winemakers' association. "We were heading for a good year, but now that has fallen through."

After last summer's hail storms in the region, which ruined around 60 per cent of the crop, winemakers installed on their land more than 30 cannons that fire silver iodide into the atmosphere. This is supposed to dissolve the hailstones and turn them into rain.

The cannon had been switched on by Saturday morning after a weather alert but failed to prevent the damage.

"It's great that we have these cannons but the case of yesterday [Saturday] reveals the limits of the system," said Ms Parent.