At the beginning of last week, the leaves on many of the vines in our vineyards were bright yellow and had been yellow for a week or so. We’ve seen this before however this year, we saw more autumn color than ever before. Then, the nights got colder and colder and by the time overnight temperatures were 26°F and lower, the leaves turned brown and now are dropping from the vines helped by a couple of windy days. The sap in the vines consists largely of sugars that descend into the roots where it will stay until spring when it will return first to the trunks and then to the arms of the vine. Our vines are now ready for a winter’s rest and they will start to produce buds in late May and early June.
The First Hard Freezes of the Season Sent Our Vineyards into Dormancy for the Winter
