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Home > Blogs > Uncorked > Archives > 2007 > April > 10 > Entry
Ohio wine producers watch, wait and worry about frost damage to their vineyards
Those who own vineyards in Ohio and throughout the Midwest and eastern seaboard have been chewing through their fingernails this week trying to assess the impact that the sudden, unseasonable cold snap had on their vines — and on their 2007 vintage.
In some cases, it ain’t pretty.
Sub-freezing temperatures in the spring can wreak havoc on grapevines, starting with the damage to the buds that should, in normal years, become grapes. In short, the frost can kill the buds and wipe out an entire vintage, or at the very least, can damage a large portion of the buds, leading to a greatly reduced crop (and fewer bottles of wine). The cold also can damage the vines themselves.
So these are anxious days for wine-grape growers, who may not know the full extent of the damage to their vineyards for several more weeks, but are seeing signs of damage.
Nancy Bentley, co-owner of Kinkead Ridge along the Ohio River east of Cincinnati, said vineyards are showing some signs of damage. The buds on Kinkead Ridge’s vines had broken, making them more susceptible to damage. Secondary buds may produce grapes, but the crop load can be reduced by 50 percent or more, depending on grape variety, Bentley said.
But wait — there’s more.
“The biggest danger is if the trunks freeze,” Bentley said. “You would get vascular damage, which would prevent any living buds from getting what they need. The trunk can split, and then you’d get crown gall, which is like cancer for grapevines. And if there are no buds surviving, you couldn’t train new trunks. You’d be in a replant situation, and waiting three years for the vine’s first crop. Pretty scary, huh?”
The Schuchter family, which own and operate Valley Vineyards near Morrow in Warren County, southeast of Dayton, are among those still trying to assess their losses, but Dodie Schuchter noted, “We went from record highs to record lows … . Last year was the largest crop ever, but this year will not be.”
The situation in northern Ohio, especially in the high-production areas east of Cleveland, might not be so dire, since the buds there were not quite as far along and thus were not as prone to frost damage, said Donniella Winchell, executive director of the Ohio Wine Producers Association.
“Had the warm spell late last month lasted another few days, the damage across the board might have been significantly worse,” Winchell said.
In general, growers of Concord grapes, which are among the earliest bud-break, were more susceptible to damage than growers of vinifera, whose buds were more tightly closed, said Imed Dami, Ohio’s state viticulturist who works for Ohio State University.
Arnie Esterer, owner of Markko Vineyard in Conneaut, said being near Lake Erie helped his winery and his neighbors in the northeast corner of the state.
“Things look okay as of now. Being downwind from the large bodies of water moderates the cold Arctic air and drops lots of snow as it warms things,” Esterer said.
In central Ohio, Renee and Robert Guilliams, owners of Raven’s Glenn Winery in Coshocton County, said his vineyard — devoted to mostly Vidal Blanc — “was not at the stage of development that should result in significant damage.”
Here’s what Keith Pritchard of Slate Run Vineyard in Canal Winchester had to say in an email:
Foch and some early varieties were out a leaf or two here at Slate Run Vyd. Most other varieties had bud swell of various degrees. The Foch will have a much reduced crop. Others will probably have some losses as the buds were probably susceptible to some level of damage even tho they haven’t popped. I had a low of 19.7ยบ F at 4 am on 4/7. The worst possible scenario is if the sap being pushed up the trunks of the vines froze then the trunks may split and die, thus totally wiping out the crop this year in some varieties.
The owners of Raven’s Glenn may have put it best: “Remember, viticulture is agriculture so we hope for the best and deal with reality.”
For the past five days, it’s been a cold reality.
Cheers …
Mark Fisher
Comments
By Chiefwino
April 11, 2007 7:47 AM | Link to this
I heard a quote from a farmer a few years ago referring to other weather problems for his crops. “25 years in a row of unusual weather.” If it is not the heat or cold or rain or drought what would agriculture business have to talk about?By David Hermes Kraus
April 10, 2007 8:43 PM | Link to this
Though most of our buds hadn’t swollen, about half our chardonnay and nebbiolo buds(the earliest budding vinifera varieties)had swollen. I brought sample canes into room temperature and placed them in water. After 3 days the swollen buds are still firm and bright green, not turning brown like they would if damaged, though we had a low as low as the low 20s this weekend. So, maybe it won’t be so bad after all. Also, frost years are often considered the best years as far as quality. With less buds you have a smaller crop load that can lead to more intense wines. If this makes anyone feel better.