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There is a wide range of Vitis vinifera varieties which do well in our climate. We have a freeze-free growing season of nearly 200 days. Late spring frosts which could damage vine growth and flowering are a rarity so there is no need for wind machines or overhead sprinklers. The USDA hardiness zone is 7. Winter temperatures can occasionally go below 0 F (once every 10 yrs.) and rarely as low as -10 F ( less than once every 20 years). We take precautions to avoid trunk injury by using 2 trunks per vine and by "hilling up" the tender vinifera varieties during their establishment years. The summers are warm and humid, but the sandier soils allow for evening cooling and the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean provide some temperature moderation. Summer rainfall is highly variable. Most accumulation during the summer comes from thunderstorms. Despite averaging over 3" of rain per month, persistent summer or fall rains are infrequent and droughts are not uncommon. |
There is little the vigneron can do about climate except to pray to St. Vincent, patron saint of the grapevine. |