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Virus carriers to regional heroes: Bats save the day for French vineyards

As the 2020 harvest started early, a lot is riding on the region's vintage amid a spate of challenges

Wines over the last decade
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The vineyards at which Charbonnier’s studies take place are just a few hectares in area, a fraction of Bordeaux’s 110,800 total.

Ross Urken | Bloomberg
Over the past year, bats have gone from unloved animal to devastating threat, thanks to their suspected role as the original carriers of Covid-19 before the novel coronavirus hopscotched to humans.

Yet in Bordeaux, one of the world’s top wine regions, they’re being welcomed as heroes.

As the 2020 harvest started early, a lot is riding on the region’s vintage amid a spate of challenges. After U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on several varieties of European still alcohol last October, the value of Bordeaux wine fell 46% in November, compared to the previous year, with total sales