SHELBURNE, Vt. -
The news that the vines at Shelburne Vineyards could be gripped by freezing temperatures over the next several days, is not welcomed news.
"Our worry level is up, what we can do about it, is still just watch it."
Part owner Ken Albert, says if temps dip below 30 degrees, the recently bloomed buds will be in trouble, "They really can't take a severe frost, maybe 32 degrees, 31 degrees but below that we are worried."
That's because the entire year's crop could be ruined overnight, costing the winery tens of thousands of dollars.
"When we get into 2013, we basically will have no Vermont grapes and no wine from
Vermont grapes, if this frost really happens," said Albert.
He says the problem stems from the abnormally hot spring, which forced buds to bloom early, "Had we had a normal spring with the cold miserable weather we see today, all along, I don't think we'd have the problem."
But he knows that dealing with Vermont weather is a big part of being a farmer, "You've got to sort of withstand and try to outlast those kinds of adverse conditions, and look positive that the next year we are not going to have it again."
