With our unpredictable Canadian spring weather, timing is key. Because we blanket our vines, we’re not worried about frost, but once the soil warms, the vines may start to grow underneath. This is okay until they get too tall, so we want to unveil the vines at the just the right moment: after the last freeze, but early enough that we still get a great growing season. How do we know when that is? We don’t. Not for sure. We have experienced flash freezes in the past, causing damage to our crop. However, we’ve installed a frost fan, which covers 8 acres, pulling down warm air and pushing away any settling cold air near the vines. Once we unveil the vines, they are still protected by the fan, though the fan only raises the temperature by 2°, so there’s no defense against really cold weather.
It’s always a risky balance between too early and just right. At Adamo Estate Winery, we rely on experience, instinct and historical data (with input from Mother Nature, of course) to determine when the time is right.
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