The dreaded late frosts are predicted in Saxony's Elbe Valley in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday - and winegrowers want to protect their vines from them with fires. According to the Wackerbarth state winery, several hundred small controlled fires are to be lit in eight vineyards and young vineyards. The aim is to protect more than 100,000 vines from the sub-zero temperatures.
The German Weather Service is forecasting a drop to minus three degrees in Saxony on Wednesday night. The state winery classifies around a third of its vineyards as frost-prone sites and plans to light the frost protection candles there.
Two years ago, frost hit the winegrowers in the Elbe Valley hard in April. Schloss Wackerbarth only produced around 25 percent of the harvest of a normal wine year in 2024. The Free State of Saxony had supported the wine and fruit growers with financial aid at the time.
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