Winter and Spring 2020-21

Winter and Spring 2020-21

Vine survival and the June 4 2018 freeze The unprecedented freeze on June 4, 2018 caused widespread damage to the grape crop in Maritime vineyards. The east end of the Annapolis Valley was especially cold, -7 in places around Johnston Vineyards. What seemed to go unappreciated by some was the long term damage to vine […]

Summer and Fall 2020

Summer and Fall 2020

Nova Scotia Grape Insurance Program The NS grape insurance program is one complicated affair. Fortunately, the field agent, Angie Garnett is very helpful and transparent in her explanations of the program. The program doesn’t cover dead vines. Immature vine production is covered according to a formula that takes an average of the insured vineyard mature […]

Winter and Spring 2019-20

Winter and Spring 2019-20

Summary The year 2020 marked the third year in a row that cold weather played a detrimental role in the farming of grapes at Johnston Vineyards and much of the Annapolis Valley. June 4, 2018 brought a severe late spring frost (the worst since 1958) that eventually resulted in the loss of 1/3 of our […]

Summer and Fall 2019

Summer and Fall 2019

Summary 2019 was a year in which the long term damage caused by the frost of June 4, 2018 and the subsequent harsh winter of 2018-19 became evident. One third of the vinifera, vidal, seyval and Geisenheim-318 died or were severely damaged. All plants were 5 years old or younger. Root damage was thought to […]

2018 Frost: One Year Later

2018 Frost: One Year Later

Overview Spring 2019 revealed more dead plants from winter kill in all vinifera and the less hardy hybrid varieties in addition to the dead plants already identified as being killed by the frost in 2018. In total, 30% of Johnston Vineyard vines died in 2018-19. The majority of the dead plants were vinifera followed by […]

Last years Pinot Noir planting stretches the limits of survival in a Nova Scotia vineyard

Winter of 2018/19: Responding to the Freeze of June 4, 2018

Pruning after the devastating spring freeze of 2018 Johnston Vineyards lost 95% of its grape crop due to the spring freeze of 2018. The 3.5 tons of Petite Pearl and Vidal that was picked did not exceed 16 brix. All primary and secondary buds from the other varieties (Marquette, NY Muscat, Cabernet Foch, Riesling, Chardonnay […]

Organic Grape Farming

Organic Grape Farming

So You Want to Go Organic….. First of all, why? The main reason Johnston Vineyards is going organic is to protect the owners and employees from the toxic effects of synthetic chemicals. These chemicals may also be found in the wine which in time should provide incentive to wineries to produce more organic wines. I […]

A Vineyard without Grapes

A Vineyard without Grapes

By early September these Marquette vines had filled out and were hedged once. However there were no grapes VINE RECOVERY FROM FROST DAMAGE The morning of June 5, 2018. There were no green vines anywhere in the vineyard By Mid July some growth was observed Johnston Vineyards lost 95% of the 2018 grape crop due […]

VINE RECOVERY FROM FROST DAMAGE

Personal Observations from the Historic Frost of June 4, 2018

Extent At between 4 and 6 am June 4th 2018 the temperature dropped to -2 to -3 C in Upper Falmouth, Nova Scotia. There was adequate warning from the various weather apps, but the most accurate one was “The Weather Channel” (-1C predicted). The most inaccurate one was “AccuWeather” (+2C predicted). By mid morning it […]

A beautiful winter day at Johnston Vineyards

Winter 2017/18

SUMMARY The winter of 2017/18 was a benign affair. The maximum low temperature at Falmouth was -17 degrees C. There was very little snowfall and pruning could be done most days throughout the winter. Consequently 2 workers were able to prune and tie down 21 acres of vines. Eleven additional acres were new plantings with […]