Cool May causes long nights in region’s vineyards
Operating a vineyard can be a hard job: the vines need to be nourished, sunned and pruned. But they also need to be protected from something much more challenging: the frost.
Frost has been the subject of many conversations last week when low temperatures hovered near the zero mark. Late into the night, vineyard operators scurried around for hours, helped by crew members using the tried but true technique of burning fires to push warm air back on the crops, keeping them healthy and alive. Some vineyards went as far as hiring helicopters, whereas others opted for more economical methods such as wind machines, sprinklers, and hot air burners.
Traditionally, the way to fight frost is to burn wood, tires and diesel fuel to raise temperatures just enough to keep the vines happy. But in some areas, this practice has been supplanted by a savvier method: wind machines. Brought into use since the mid-20th century, wind machines don’t always get the thumbs up from neighbours due to the deafening noise often emanating from the engines... up to 97 decibels by some machines. As for helicopters, their performance is impressive, but so is their price: between $8,000-$10,000 a night.
There are two kinds of frosts: white frost and black frost. White frost, which forms from water vapour found in the air, hits when the temperatures hover around -2.6 C or thereabouts. By contrast, black frost, known commonly as the worst of the two, occurs when the temperatures fall so low that plant tissue freezes and dies, blackened (hence the name “black frost”). While white frost can be fought with a wind ventilator, black frost presents a much tougher challenge.
Rick Bresee, owner of Bresee Vineyards, knows a thing or two about the tenacity of the frost, not to mention the often dire implications involved. Bresee bought the 6.25-hectare (15.5acre) property from his father in 1997. But it was only in 2001 that he decided to convert the land into a vineyard and dub it Bresee Vineyards. Things were going well until 2009, when he woke up one morning to find his crops ruined. “The vineyard was wiped clean,” recalled Bresee. “That hurt so much that I went out and bought a wind machine. Sure, it cost me $40,000, but so far it has saved me three crops.”
“I was able to save the first frost that took place on May 13, but I lost about 15 per cent on the latest frost which hit us on the night of May 22,” said Bresee, whose birthday fell on the subsequent day, May 23. But given the hectic and unusual schedule the vineyard crew has had to follow, Bresee didn’t get much of a chance to party. “Let’s just say it was a weird weekend,” conceded the vineyard owner.
On the eve of his birthday, Bresee set up 60 steel barrels spread throughout the vineyard, burning wood cuttings and kindling taken from his brother’s workshop in West Brome. It was tough, grueling work.
“We worked until sunrise. It took us two trailers hauling wood back and forth, not to mention 15 helpers,” said Bresee. But at 3:30 a.m. Bresee noticed that the bottom ground level plants were wilting and he decided to turn the wind machine off.
“At that point, you’re in a critical position,” said Bresee. “The hour before sunrise is the coldest, but I decided to take my chances. This was the first time I switched the wind machine off, and I’m sure glad I did turn the machine off because I might have over-warmed and killed the vines. We would have had the opposite problem,” concluded Bresee, who has heard rumours that another frost could hit vineyards on June 2.
Bresee admitted to some feelings of defeat. “It’s depressing,” he agreed. “Every year is different, you have to adjust to mother nature.” But Bresee also has good news. “On the flip side, I don’t think I have ever seen so many loads of grapes in my life.”
For the first time in 14 years, Bresee has altered the way he works the earth, which is the potential reason for the abundance of growth this year.
“I added new elements such as soil sprays, where the plant can drink what it needs from the root system. I also purchased a product that works similarly to an anti-freeze. The potassium in the product actually slows down the growth of the vine, allowing the plant to grow properly,” said Bresee, some relief creeping into his voice. In addition, he has been plowing the adjacent field, which is rich in black, healthy earth and is expected to also nourish his vineyard.
However tired and discouraged he may be, Bresee still thanked his lucky stars for having gone out to fight the cold night. “I just got off the phone with my agronomist, who told me that any vineyard operator who didn’t fight the frost would for sure have lost 100 per cent of the crops,” said Bresee.
“We’ll see what happens next.”