Grape Heaters

Filed in archive Wine News on October 31, 2006

Around this time of year we hear a lot on the Grapevine of wine about frozen vineyards, which is not necessarily a good thing unless you're making icevine. So in the every expanding science of wine making, researchers are now looking into the possibility of creating heaters for the grapes.

More from Vine heating may eliminate frost damage: Most frost prevention measures concentrate on heating the air around the vines to stop frost forming.

The University of New England is researching whether electric cables can be trailed around vines to heat them by one or two degrees, to prevent grape buds from freezing.

Associate Professor Dr David Lamb says the system first appeared in France, but has never been tried in Australia.

"We have established two one hectare trials with panels of vines subjected to different heating treatments with this electric cable and our aim is to do a systematic evaluation of (a) - does it really work and (b) - if it does work, what's the most effective way to set it up and how much will it cost the growers, and is it cost effective?" he said.

Image from 4thgrapes