Record cold wipes out vineyards in WA’s south

But this is weather, not climate. 

It’s climate when it’s a record cold. 

It’s weather when it’s a record hot. 

Got it? 

10 Nov 2018 – Winemakers in Western Australia’s Great Southern region are reeling from a frost event that damaged up to 80 per cent of their vines.

The acclaimed Frankland River wine region, 120 km north-west of Albany, was worst hit earlier this week by record-low temperatures for November.

Frankland River Grape Growers and Winemakers Association president Hunter Smith said it was one of the worst frost events the region had ever experienced.

“A lot of the growers through the region are affected anywhere to the tune of very little damage through to some growers reporting 70 and even 80 per cent crop loss through that one event,” he said.

Bureau of Meteorology spokesman Neil Bennett said the cold snap broke several records across the region. (Yep, let’s downplay it by using those words again: “cold snap.”)

The frost came at a crucial time as the new growth from the vines approached flowering.

“A lot of those vine leaves are quite thin, so it actually doesn’t take much of a frost event to totally freeze those, and kill those shoots right off,” Mr Smith said.

During a 2014 hail event, the Frankland River’s wineries lost 90 per cent of their crop.

“We’re actually just recovering from all that and now it’s happening all over again,” said Rodney Hallett of family-owned Alkoomi Wines.

Weather News

Jon Daly, Saturday November 10, 2018 – 08:04 EDT Winemakers in Western Australia’s Great Southern region are reeling from a recent frost event that damaged up to 80 per cent of their vines. The acclaimed Frankland River wine region, 120 kilometres north-west of Albany, was worst hit by record-low temperatures for November, which swept across the region earlier this week.

Right-Mind