Last year we showed you how we fought against frost in the vineyard with our kerosene candles. Our Viticulture Manager, Javi Blasco, told in this video how we worked to prevent frost from settling in the lower layers that affect the vines.
Already in 1900, Couanon and Convert’s Viticulture Report for the Universal Exposition of Paris pointed out that “…the vine, in limit conditions, almost at the point of leaving its place to other crops, concentrates in its roots what its sap has of distinction and purity”. We know that this climate and the peculiarity of the terrain entails many risks but we also know that only under these conditions, we can obtain the best raw material that we try to capture in our wines.
Therefore, this past night from May 4 to 5, 2019 and with the forecast of possible frost, we had to get going. The resilience of our century-old vines continues to amaze us every day but minimizing the risk of possible damage is the responsibility of the winegrower. In the end it did not freeze and we are thankful to have survived this challenge without any damage.
Kerosene candles and anti-frost mills
With over half a thousand kerosene candles deployed throughout the plots and the anti-frost mills that help us move the layers of air due to thermal inversion, we have tried to protect this unique vineyard heritage. The candles we use at Ossian are biodegradable, environmentally friendly and do not produce harmful vapors during combustion, neither for the vineyard nor for our equipment. These kerosene candles have helped us to heat the lower layers of air throughout the night. These layers are the closest to our plants and the most prone to accumulate the coldest air. By heating them, we protect and prevent damage to our plants.
The windmills we have installed last year have also been working hard tonight. These windmills help us prevent possible damage to the vineyard by moving that layer of air and mixing it with the warmer air immediately above (thermal inversion).
As we have mentioned, fortunately, this time the frost has not affected us. However, we will remain attentive to the weather in the coming hours and days. Taking care of this heritage in the form of the vineyard requires us to give the best of ourselves, of our team, of our way of understanding viticulture and of our commitment to nature. We take on the challenges that nature sets us, but only in this way can we obtain something unique to offer you in the form of a bottled landscape.
