The spring equinox is in a matter of days and North Georgia wineries are preparing for budbreak. But vineyard owners are also preparing for temperatures forecast to be in the 20's this weekend, which could damage their crops for the next few seasons.
Three Sisters Winery owner Doug Paul said they've seen signs of budbreak at their vineyard a week or two early, especially with the warmer temperatures this week, putting their crops at risk with the expected cold snap.
"The 50's are ok, but when you get down to 27 degrees, which is what we've suffered sometimes during some of the later Easter weekends that go in to April, can really be nerve-wracking for grape growers.
"We've got grapes out there that are basically popping out, growing small little shoots, sometimes four to eight inches, and then all of a sudden Mother Nature throws you a curve ball and it's 24 degrees."
Paul said if the temperatures do dip into that freezing range, they have all hands on deck to try and save the crop.
"We call it 'frost patrol' where all hands are on deck. We use specialized equipment, wind machines, we've got a machine we actually drag behind a tractor called a frost dragon, which are huge propane tanks that blow out warm and hot air to maintain the ambient temperature of the vineyard."
"But there's literally nothing you can do once it gets down in to the 20's," he continued.
Paul said frost damage to the grapes will hurt not just for this season, but the season afterwards, which would not only impact their product but agri-tourism for the wineries in the region.
"We're different from a craft brewery or distillery, which has an endless supply of water or rye and wheat and rice and things like that," Paul said.
Paul says usually, they harvest about 45-60 tons of grapes per year. "Usually we're somewhere between the middle of that, which will produce 35-45 hundred cases," said Paul.
Paul said their wine season lasts a full year, and usually begins in late March and going until the first of October. Then, the vines rest, then the vineyards are pruned starting in December and finished in March, just in time for the budbreak.
Paul said Chardonnay is usually first, followed by Merlot, Pinot Blanc, Cabernet Franc and others.
Three Sisters is one of several vineyards in Lumpkin County and across the region, which Paul called the "heart of Georgia wine country."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/3/378499/cold-temperatures-could-impact-agri-tourism-at-north-georgia-wineries