🐝 Wild boar

Wild boar are forest animals that come to vineyards at night to eat ripe berries. They are very clever and smell sweetness from far away. The animals also dig up soil in search of roots and worms, break trellises and posts, trample vines and can ruin whole rows just before harvest.

The problem exists in many wine countries of Europe, above all France, Italy, Spain and Germany. The number of boar has risen in recent decades. For protection, vineyards are surrounded by electric fences or netting. Sometimes animals are scared off with sounds and smells. In some places culling is allowed by law.

Wild boar count among grapevine pests, like birds, wasps and insects. The damage is often greatest right before harvest, when the grapes are sweet. Estates have to spend money on fences and night watches. At the same time the boar remains part of nature, and solutions are sought that do not harm the ecosystem as a whole.