GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) – Temperatures have been spring like lately, so we talked with a local winery Whitewater Hill Vineyards about what would happen to grapevines if this trend continued.

Every winter after the grapes have been harvested, the grapevines harden and become dormant, so they can withstand colder temperatures. But if there is a long warm stretch during the winter months, that can lead to problems for the vine. Melanie Wick, Owner of Whitewater Hill Vineyards, said, “If we were to have an entire month of 70° temperatures in January and then we froze hard in February or March, that could not only damage the shoots of the grapevines, but it could also split trunks if there’s still fluid left there.”

It is ideal for the vines to have a gradual warm up instead of volatile temperatures. “Hopefully we’ll see some colder temperatures coming along. And hopefully things will gradually get those vines back to being really cold hearty through the winter. If we gradually have a slightly warmer, slow warmth to our spring, the vines will do great,” Wick said.

The winery will prep in the meantime as it hopes for more consistent cooler temperatures. “The thing we can do the best right now is preparing for pruning. So we’re going to take all that part of the vine that looks like big fingers hanging above the vineyard and trim that down. But our vineyard management is going to have a plan where we leave a few of the buds. And then we wait and prune that last little bit as late in the season as we can,” Wick said.

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