I cant wait for critics to come up with “early drinking vintage” and “beautifully ripe fruit” spins. Kinda like 2021 with the “classically styled” nonsense.
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Don’t know about France, but they do use air tankers in Italy. We were on Lake Orta for a few days two weeks ago, and there were air tankers scooping from the lake all day, due to nearby fires.
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They’re impressive to watch.
For clarification: my point about air support was high wind blown wildfires can’t be fought with ground crews. They need air support and specifically Phos-chek to create firebreaks and protection for structures. Water isn’t a really effective retardant. Super Scoopers are great at dousing a flaming structure.
One map to visualize the fires in southwestern France
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Winds shifted today in Bordeaux, leading to some clear blue skies and freedom from smoke stink today. But hot weather returns in earnest tomorrow. Fortunately my first commercial tour will happen as planned.
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Sierra del Gredos threated by Madrid fires, below from Comando G, original post here:
A true environmental tragedy and a devastating blow for Gredos.
Thank you for all the messages of affection and solidarity we are receiving.
In some of our vineyards, we are surrounded by fire; our workers’ families have all been evacuated from their homes, and the blaze is not far from the winery…
Yet, amidst the horror, we are fortunate—things could be much worse. Had the wind blown in the other direction, we would have lost everything.
It isn’t over yet…
The fire continues to spread out of control.
All our support goes to the firefighters and the people risking their lives these days—to our colleagues and neighbors.
What a terrible tragedy, and what rage it stirs up. As long as there are people making money from fighting fires; as long as prevention is ignored—even though it is cheaper than chasing after the flames; as long as farmers and ranchers aren’t paid decent prices for their produce; as long as the countryside is abandoned and rural areas lack proper management… fires will remain a reality every summer. They are becoming increasingly ferocious, too, driven by human-induced climate change that consumes natural resources far beyond sustainable limits. The false promise of infinite progress under ruthless capitalism. We deplete and desertify the land, profit from hunger, contaminate our food with chemicals, and gamble with our health—anything goes in this race of selfishness. We fancy ourselves owners of something that does not belong to us; we forget the duty to care for and preserve the land for future generations; we lose sight of the common good and the long-term view.
The fire is a consequence of a society driven by greed—a society that seeks only power, votes, and money.
We reap what we sow.
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@Alan_Rath - all clear? 
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A pyrocumulonimbus in the Gironde. 
Should be a “free” link
Live view of the city of Bordeaux. The skies look okay at the moment. Click on link, below.
From the NYT today:
In Spain, tensions have arisen over the decision to nationalize the response to wildfires in the Madrid region. The region’s conservative leader, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, requested a national emergency declaration that allowed the intervention of the nation’s ministry of the interior, under Spain’s progressive prime minister, Pedro Sánchez.
Center-left politicians framed the move as a sign of failed leadership by the conservative People’s Party. Óscar Puente, Spain’s transportation minister, said in a social media post that Madrid had come to rely on a special disaster response unit of the nation’s armed forces to combat fires because of labor disputes and regional budget cuts to emergency services.
“They cut taxes for the rich, slash public services, and then ask the government to resolve their mess,” he wrote.
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Sad to see this happening to such special old vines
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Just received from the Union of Grands Crus of Bordeaux:
Solidarity and recognition in the face of the forest fires in Gironde
The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux expresses its deep emotion and support for the people, local stakeholders, and all those mobilized to fight the fires ravaging the Gironde and Landes regions. This ecological and human disaster strikes our region at its very heart.
We wish to express our heartfelt thanks to the firefighters, state services, foresters, military personnel, gendarmes, Civil Security, as well as the many volunteers, farmers, and winegrowers who, with exemplary courage, are protecting our land and our fellow citizens. Our gratitude also goes to the wine estates that provided equipment and actively participated in the fight against the flames.
Faced with this crisis, the solidarity of the wine industry has once again been demonstrated, proving once again its unwavering commitment to this territory and its inhabitants.
A promising 2026 vintage, spared from the consequences of the fires.
At this stage, we would like to reassure you:
- No vineyards in Gironde were affected by the fires.
- No impact on grape quality has been observed to date.
- The fires, although intense, are located several kilometers from our vineyards. As a reminder, the fires of 2022, which occurred around the same time of year, had no impact on the taste of the wines.
With the arrival of rain and the gradual stabilization of the situation, the 2026 vintage is shaping up to be early and full of great promise for quality.
François-Xavier Maroteaux, Grégory Citerneschi President of the UGCB, Director of the UGCB
The situation is much improved, there’s no doubt about the help given by several estates, whose personnel have been helping the firemen with their water containers, and I haven’t heard of any estates directly affected by fires. But the rest sounds a bit optimistic! Rain? When? There was a little, but not much and none is expected in the near future. Unlike in 2022, the fires have been a lot closer to vineyards this time, so there must at least be a possibility of smoke taint in Pessac-Léognan and perhaps the Southern Médoc. Let’s hope that’s not the case.
Peaking at the rivers driving past east Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia the water levels are more on the higher side, than lower.
It’s pretty warm inland, this was in the sun of course.
Stay away from Bulgaria.
A Viking river cruise ship ran aground while sailing in Europe’s Danube River.
Viking Ullur came “into contact with a sandbank during a period of exceptionally low water levels” on July 28, the company told USA TODAY in an emailed statement.
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And we Vikings are know for being able to sail in shallow water! When we passed Passau the water level looked normal.
The Rein cruises are facing trouble…
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Rain has been localized. Pomerol received more rain than St. Emilion and overall the Right Bsnk received a lot more rain from the Left Bank.
Leognan was further from the fires than Pessac. But both places should be safe. Keep in mind that because Bordeaux is relatively flat, and the winds usually blow to the west so the wines and vines should be fine. Southern Medoc was also far enough from the fires to be fine.
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One of the many reasons I try to only visit during shoulder seasons!
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