A project to improve frost management in UK vineyards has been awarded £300,000 from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
As climate change causes vines to bud earlier, the risk of sudden spring frosts that destroy buds and kill yields is of particular concern to growers in Britain's booming wine sector. It's also a problem because the UK's two most widespread grape varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (together they make up 60% of the country's vine-planted area) are both early buds, making them particularly vulnerable to sub-zero temperatures in winter. spring.
The 2021 season in particular has proven challenging for producers, with frost one of the factors severely impacting crops (certainly not an issue with the record 2023 harvest).
In an attempt to confront this growing problem, the first step is to determine where and when frost occurs.
The project, which is being delivered by Innovate UK, is called “Predicting, communicating and managing frost risk in vineyards more intelligently” and will run for two years.
“The Government’s £270 million Agricultural Innovation Program ensures farmers and growers have access to the latest technologies to help them boost productivity, improve food security and drive innovation,” Agriculture Minister Mark Spencer told the drinks sector.
“I am delighted that this project is using its share of the latest £12.2 million funding round to develop innovative new technology that will help vineyard managers improve how they respond to frost and enhance the long-term resilience of the UK wine industry.” He added.
The sensors, developed by manufacturer Terraprima, will be used to assess frost risk in real time, with an app sending frost alerts to wine growers' mobile devices.
Elliot Dixon, head of agricultural technology engineering at the Agri-Epi Centre, one of the companies leading the project, said it would provide data on frost risk “at a resolution that has never been achieved before”. A robust, commercially relevant solution that showcases the best of UK agricultural technology.
The sensors have been installed at a number of vineyards, including Tanhurst Estate in Surrey, Ridgeview in East Sussex, Dillions in West Sussex, and JoJo's in Oxfordshire. Participating sites were a mix of those who volunteered for the project, and those already working with project partners, such as Terraprima. If the project is successful, it can be rolled out on a larger scale.
Other supporters of the project include trade body Wine GB and viticulture education foundation Plumpton College. Sensors have also been installed at a recent vineyard in East Sussex.
Sam Linter, Principal at Plumpton College, said: “Spring frosts pose a major threat to many UK grape growers, requiring an understanding of forecasting and management options. Taking part in such an innovative frost management project, which combines different methods and modeling systems, gives our students the opportunity to Learn about current and developing technologies.
Wine GB Membership Engagement Manager Phoebe French added: “This project will give winegrowers greater control over their frost management and, hopefully, their sleeping schedule.”
Frost can destroy the productivity of vineyards in cold climates, as Burgundy's most famous producer, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, discovered with his 2021 vintage.
What producers can actually do once a frost warning is established is a different matter. While the traditional procedure is to place candles next to the vines to keep them warm, it is very expensive to implement and maintain and requires a lot of effort.
In Chablis, an area that is no stranger to sudden cold snaps in the spring, the methods of choice today are hot wires running through the vines, and windmills that aerate the vineyard, taking the cold air out and the warm air in, as the beverage industry discovered when it interviewed the chairman of the Chablis Paul Espitalli.
