INTERVIEW: Working to protect the grape buds during the cold weather

Owner Tom O'Brien talked with AM800 CKLW about protecting the grape buds during the cold weather here in Windsor-Essex County.

Essex County grape growers are doing all they can to save their vineyards from the recent cold weather.

Temperatures dipped dangerously low Tuesday night and into the early hours of Wednesday morning, putting grape buds in danger. 

Staff were up all night at Coopers Hawk Vineyards on Iler Road in Harrow, using large fans to keep the air moving.

Owner Tom O'Brien says there are four vineyards with big fans and they were all on to keep the cold air from freezing the grape buds.

"We started running our machines around 2 a.m. when it hit -17C. These cold instances can happen in a second, it's not a prolonged cold that kills the buds on the plant, it's an instant cold. If you hit -21C, you're going to get damage right away," he says.

CLICK HERE to reach the full article

Photo: Tom O'Brien inspects vines at Coopers Hawk Vineyard in Colchester on Thursday February 7, 2019 (Photo by CTV Windsor's Michelle Maluske)