We’ve had our fair share of hail over the years. And tonight, the forecast is for a huge storm running from the South West of France, heading north.

Risk of GIANT hail? RT @KeraunosObs: Risque d’#orages extrêmes avec possibles #grêlons géant.. http://t.co/HEM9A5D2JH pic.twitter.com/LEPxqTHGX2

— Gavin Quinney (@GavinQuinney) June 9, 2014

The G-word – Grêle – is the one we fear most. It’s rare to see mention of giant grêlons in advance.

The vines are at the extremely tender stage of flowering. So far, the floraison has gone well, with lovely, even fruit-set on the cards after mostly sunny weather in the past week or so. It’s been hot at times but the muggy, heavy atmosphere right now is often the forerunner to a storm. Even the dogs look nervously out towards the West and the Atlantic coast.

As you can see from the pictures below, all taken this evening, the vines are in no shape to withstand a violent hailstorm.

So we await our fate. A thousand rows, a hundred thousand vines, and a million potential bunches.