The 30°F frost on Saturday, October 5 followed by another frost on Sunday, October 13 appear to have convinced our vines to start shutting down for the season. While there are still some green leaves to be seen, the overall impression is that the vineyards are turning a dark brown. It won’t be long before a stiff breeze comes along and the leaves get blown off the vines. Then, all that will be left are the trunks and canes.
Back in early September, new canes started lignifying by growing a tough outer skin that will protect the canes from really cold weather. Since then, the sap in the canes and trunk has been slowly dropping down into the roots. This process allows the vines to survive low temperatures without damage to the trunk and canes.
