Harsh Ohio winter damages wine industry
4/25/2014DAYTON, Ohio — Ohio’s winemakers are preparing to ask for federal recovery help after the harsh winter all but wiped out many varieties of grapes.
A winter damage survey report from Ohio State University viticultural researchers says the extreme subzero temperatures devastated the 2014 vintage of some varieties of wines and caused around $4 million in damage to Ohio wineries.
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The Dayton Daily News reports that the frigid temperatures caused a projected loss of 97 percent of the 2014 crop of grape varieties of Europoean heritage that are most well-known to consumers, such as chardonnay, riesling, cabernet franc and pinot noir.
The OSU report was based on a survey of 62 grape producers in 35 Ohio counties. Some of those vineyards reported temperatures as low as 27 below zero.