Virginia winemakers lose up to 90% of vines to deep freeze
The biting frost that struck Virginia in late April “will go down in the record books”, the Virginia Wine Board told db, but reassured “there is still hope for the vintage”. Sarah Neish reports.
Virginian wine producers have been hit by a “perfect storm” of climatic events, with a warm spring this year bringing on the early development of buds before one of the worst frosts in 20 years swept through the state late last month, devastating crops.
Speaking to the drinks business at London Wine Fair, the Virginia Wine Board revealed that the Central Virginia and Northern Virginia regions felt the full impact of the frost, with Monticello AVA one of the areas worst hit.
“Some people lost 80-90% per cent of their vines and others more like 20%,” said marketing manager Anna Anderson. “Those in higher elevation sites fared better as frost settles more the lower down you are.”
Hope for the vintage
According to Anderson, Virginia winemakers are currently waiting to see whether “secondary buds on the vine” could rescue the vintage.
“Of course the yields would be much smaller than usual but we are still waiting to see what happens with that second growth,” she told db.
Early-blooming varieties like Chardonnay suffered most as temperatures plunged to -11°C between 20-21 April.
“Many growers will tell you this is the worst frost Virginia has had, but there is still hope for the vintage. It isn’t lost, but it will go down in the record books,” said Desiree Harrison Brown, trade relations specialist for the Virginia Wine Board.
Grape exchange on the cards
Emergency support is on the cards, and db can reveal that the state is now going through a consultation process regarding a potential grape exchange like the one that Washington State entered into with Canada’s British Columbia when BC lost the lion’s share of its harvest to frost in 2024.
One potential option to help out Virginia could be New York. “We stepped in to help out New York State when they were in a similar position”, explained Anderson.
However, she stressed: “Virginia producers would prefer to use Virginia grapes” and so any talks about supplementing the 2026 harvest from outside the state are still up in the air.
Globally, producers are looking to adapt their viticulture to safeguard plants from future frost incidents, with Canada offering two effective but different techniques deployed earlier on in the growing cycle that don’t involve running costly wind machines. Ontario producers are used to enduring sub-zero temperatures, with Norman Hardie of Norman Hardie Winery telling db “we’ve reached -25°C for seven out of 10 years, and in 2015 we stayed at -15°C to -25°C for an entire month. When the polar vortex blows in, temperatures can drop to as low as -35°C.”
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The damage happens fast. “It takes the same amount of time to burn your hand if you take a steaming pot out of the oven without using oven mitts as it does for frost to kill a whole plant,” Hardie said.
Exciting new chapter
However, despite “unexpected vineyard events and vintage variation” posing the biggest challenge for Virginia producers, the region is entering into one of its most exciting chapters yet.
A spate of major investments and acquisitions has pumped new energy into the winemaking region. Just this month, several local entrepreneurs came together to form a new group in order to purchase major producer Veritas Vineyards & Winery in Nelson County, and to “provide the support it deserves to flourish for the next generation.”
This influx of financial support comes at just at the right moment. Returning to London Wine Fair after a ten-year hiatus marks a renewed focus on international markets for Virginia. So why now?
“Our wineries are ready. Their inventories are there, they have the means, the purpose and the confidence,” said Harrison Brown. “They’re so proud and feel ready to show their wines to the world.”
What is Virginia pinning its hat on?
As it enters this new phase of attack, Virginia is marketing its USP as being “halfway between the old world and the new”.
“On a map, we are pretty much exactly half way between California and the UK,” said Anderson. “So our wines bring elements of both the old and new worlds.”
The region’s extraordinary beauty is another enviable string to its bow. “Beyond the wine, Virginia has so much to offer,” added Harrison Brown. “There are beautiful mountains to hike, and a huge agro-tourism scene with incredible farm to fork dining. We’re also close to the water so we have great oysters and seafood.”
Producers are hoping that 2026 will not be known for its shocking frost, but for the start of a new relationship with the world.
“There’s an opportunity for Virginia to get our name out there. A lot has changed in the 10 years since we were last at London Wine Fair. Producers have been investing more in their winemaking and in their teams,” said Harrison Brown.
“This is the end of Virginia wines being under rated.”
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