KALAMAZOO, Mich., -- Dean Bender sees the effects of last winter every time he walks around his vineyard at Lawton Ridge Winery in Kalamazoo. Bender told FOX 17 News the record cold killed the buds on most of his premium European grapes, and will likely cost him a loss of between $18-19 thousand dollars in grape sales.
"What really hurt us, was the low night temperatures below 10 degrees," explained Bender. "We have a crop, but it's roughly 60 percent less than what we would normally have."
Bender said the grapes used to make popular varieties like Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir suffered. He's paying more for maintenance work to salvage the plants he still has to prepare for next year.
Dave Braganini, the President/CEO of St. Julian Winery is feeling the same negative effects of a harsher than normal winter.
"There was quite a bit of damage, some vines died right to the ground," said Braganini. "Overall, it was a rough winter for wine grapes."
The brutal winter is also expected to take a toll on other fruit crops used to make wine, like blueberries, peaches and cherries. Consumers may notice the difference in the variety offered in some stores as a result.
Bender said the harvest in November will really tell the tale of how bad the situation is. He, along with Braganini, are hoping early reports that this winter will be worse than last year are simply not true.
"We're looking forward, not backward," said Braganini. "No one has a crystal ball...Let's hope and pray and see what happens."
