Last week’s freeze episodes did it makes Quebec wine producers sweat who are afraid more than ever Losing harvests as the phenomenon increases.
“I’ve never experienced that in my career […] It was the heaviest frost episode in the history of Château de Cartes,” explains Stéphane Lamarre, President of the Dunham Winery since 2006.
The winemaker and his nine employees fought the frost for more than 22 hours on Thursday to protect the vines. Despite its best efforts, the company is posting losses of 25 to 30%.
Château de Cartes winery and cider house
“Every bud that’s lost now is a lost bottle,” he explains.
The appearance of the bud in May is one of the first stages in a vine’s cycle. Then leaves appear in late spring and bloom in early summer. The first bud of a vine is the one whose quality is at its best.
The owner of the Amouraska vineyard in Kamouraska, Kathy Dickner, fears the buds on her vineyards have been seriously affected by the cold.
“We’ll be able to confirm it in a few days, but if the first bud is affected, we fall for the second and the third. If we go there, the production will be reached at 80%,” emphasizes the woman, who believes that half of her wine production will be reached due to the minus temperatures measured at the bottom of the river last Thursday.
The entrepreneur from Bas-Saint-Laurent, who offers wines made from different fruits, plans to put the grapes aside due to the temperature fluctuations.
When the temperature drops below freezing, the vines can quickly freeze, prompting wine producers to do whatever they can to protect their crops. From the heat circulation fans to the dozens of flashlights to the geotextiles, everything needs to be installed quickly to prevent the worst.
Working with nature
“I see it’s happening more frequently, especially in the last five or six years. There are more spring and autumn frosts, droughts and floods. We can no longer hide it,” adds Stéphane Lamarre from Château de Cartes.
The Vignoble de l’Orpailleur, also located in Dunham, suffered the wrath of Mother Nature as this ‘deadly freeze’ turned almost 40% of their crops into ice.
“We talk a lot about climate change, but we hope it’s not a trend,” explains Charles-Henri de Coussergnes, co-owner of the Vignoble de l’Orpailleur in Estrie.
Although cold temperatures are expected over the next few days, the sun and accumulated heat during the day should help temper fields after dark.