In order to protect endangered vines from late frost, hundreds of small controlled fires were lit on a total of 28 hectares of the Schloss Wackerbarth state winery early on Tuesday morning. In total, over 100,000 vines were to be protected and possible yield losses avoided. Temperatures below freezing point are a particular threat to young shoots, which can then die, explained Wackerbarth spokesman Martin Junge.
"It was good that we were out in the vineyard this morning," said Junge - because it was a clear night without clouds. He is cautiously optimistic that the fires were successful. "The vines still look good." In the coming days, the winegrowers will continue to monitor the weather forecast and keep an eye on the night-time temperatures.
"The situation is not comparable to 2024, with sub-zero temperatures for hours and frost descending from above," said Junge. The weather situation was more like that of previous years, with local frost on the ground and cloudless skies. This is extremely unfavorable for the young shoots, which can turn brown and die due to the sudden cold. In the past, he says, they could be protected from damage with the help of frost candles and smoke.
550 frost candles and small fires
In Weinböhla, Wackerbarth's winegrowers set up up to 550 such candles around an eight-hectare area with Solaris, Muscaris and Pinotin vines. "Like a chimney, the aim is to get the cool air moving between the rows of vines and "suck it out"," explained Junge. In the Diesbar-Seußlitz and Laubach vineyards, where there are no direct residents, smoke fires or small controlled fires were used. The cost of the frost protection measures is just under five figures.
Because of the capricious weather after early budding, Saxon winegrowers lost around 80 percent of their usual yield last year. The second budding of the vines was only able to compensate for this to a very small extent. The wineries also had to invest significantly more in vineyard management.
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