Wine Diary
Mitigating Frost Damage
Late frosts are among the greatest risks for winegrowers! An accurate forecast can make it easier to implement preventive measures at the right time and significantly reduce the likelihood of damage. Often, it comes down to a few tenths of a degree Celsius, which can make all the difference in a particular vineyard. Many factors ultimately determine the fate of the young vines. So far, the slightly later spring and a longer dry spell—which also delayed budbreak—have proven beneficial, as most shoots had barely outgrown their protective wool (husk).
Temperatures just below freezing were forecast for two nights last week. In fact, in a few spots, temperatures briefly dipped just under minus 2 degrees Celsius. Of the top vineyards, only a few are particularly vulnerable to frost. The Ried Lamm at the foot of the famous Ried Heiligenstein is one of them; precisely because it is generally well-ventilated, it can happen that on some spring nights, slightly colder air drifts over the vines from the northern forests. Here, the fight against frost is particularly worthwhile. With heating wires along the grape zone and heat candles at the right time, we have actually managed to successfully minimize the damage!
Late frosts are to be expected until the “Ice Saints” in mid-May, even if there is currently no danger due to the mild weather.
