French winemaker spent €4 million on 6,000 solar panels to protect grapes

Solar panels are seen atop of the vineyard of winemaker PC: Alexandre Minguez A cognac grower in western France has voluntarily given up the right to call his wine cognac, all so he could build a solar canopy over his vineyard. David Moreau planted four hectares of ugni blanc grapes at Saint-André-de-Lidon, near Saintes, and covered them with 6,000 solar panels held five metres above the vines. The panels tilt through the day to balance shade and sunlight, and lie completely flat when hail strikes, forming a hard shield over the fruit. The project cost around four million euros to build, yet Moreau earns just 600 euros a year in electricity rent from it. He will not know if the gamble paid off until his first harvest under the system in 2029.Why a cognac grower gave up his wine label for solar panelsFrench wine rules are strict about what happens above a vineyard as much as what happens in the soil. A regulation dating back to 2002 bans any roof or covering over vineyards that carry an AOC or IGP designation, the geographical labels that apply to roughly 95 per cent of everything France bottles. Moreau's solar array falls foul of that rule, so whatever wine comes off his four hecta...