Freeze in the Vineyards & Recent Accolades 2008-05-01
This spring we lost a third of
our crop due to an untimely May freeze which reached a temperature of 22ºF for
four hours. Fortunately, our most premium vineyards were spared from freezing
by wind machines, heaters and our vineyard crew working all night, several
nights in the vineyards. But now we must accept that freezes are becoming more
severe year to year, perhaps a weird result of climate change.
Vines
with severe frost damage.
Note the
absence of green leaves
in this
valley, Zone 15.
Our vineyards are so perfect in every
other respect we are not willing to let these freezes ruin our crop again. Upon
Dimitri’s advice we are taking the big step of installing overhead sprinkler
systems in our three most exposed vineyards. These will give us the ultimate
protection. In our other less exposed vineyards we are adding more wind
machines, fans and heaters! This major investment will hopefully protect our
cherished vineyards. No more damaged vines and lost crops due to untimely
freezes!
Recent Accolades
Jarvis wines have received many
awards over the
past several months as shown below.
Beverage Testing Institute’s
World Wine Championships
