Missouri winemakers battle with frost damage

This article is a sobering read pretty much for anyone growing grapes in the Heartland. It is predicted that 60-70% of the Seyval, Vignoles and St. Vincent crop in Augusta has been lost due to frost - while, more optimistically, only 10-20% of the Norton, Chambourcin and Vidal (late-leafing varieties, by contrast) have suffered damage.

I don't know - this weather is totally out of place for April, even up here in Ontario where Easter felt colder than Christmas ...

Winemakers say another late freeze could doom crop

Easter was definitely colder than Christmas here in New Jersey. My father and brother played GOLF on Christmas Eve.

There is an interesting video about a Tennessee winery and their battles with mother nature. I will try to find it.

Here it is.

http://www.kegsprings.com/Frost_07/Frost07Web.html

Great pictures in that slideshow - and I LOVE the song!! I don't know if that's Bluegrass or Gospel Bluegrass or what, but I think I would like to get a CD of whatever it is.

Vineyards in the Bible Belt - now there's some consonance for a change!

I traded emails with a Norton vineyard owner here in Alabama. He said that he's expecting about a 10-20% fruit loss as most of his vines had not gone through bud break. Contrast that to the state's peach industry which is expecting anywhere from 30% to nearly 100% loss depending on location and elevation (further north the worse damage.) The peaches here had already bloomed and fruited.

Anyone hear how the vineyards in northern Georgia and North Carolina fared?

My young (2 yr and new) vines have survived (my lowest temp was 26° recorded Sat. AM), but I'm not growing a crop this year.

That is heartbreaking!