Australia: Frost wipes out wine grape crops

(ABC) - Frost has wiped out wine grape crops at Murrumbateman, on the southern tablelands of New South Wales, near Canberra.

Some growers have reported losses of 50 to 100 per cent in low-lying areas, while others say their vines have survived unscathed.

Last week's frosts followed one of the earliest bud bursts in decades for the region.

Winemaker, Tim Kirk, from Clonakilla vineyard says overall he's lost 60 to 70 per cent of his fruit.

"There's no doubt that we're feeling a little bit glum," he said.

"You know, people work so hard. We've got a whole team of staff here who are working in the vineyard through all sorts of weather conditions and to see all of that work kind of reduced to wilting, brown shoots after two hours of sub-zero temperatures, it has an impact on you, it's quite depressing."

The frosted shoots are now black and the leaves crumple when scrunched together.

"That's not a sound you want to hear at this time of year," Tim explains.

"You can see there, there's a tiny little bud, which will shoot again, and within a month you'll have another beautiful green shoot coming out but there'll be much less fruit on a shoot that comes from a secondary bud, if any at all."

The quantity of grapes produced in the district will take a dive this year, and it'll cost the local industry millions of dollars.

"Just on my front block, which is really one of our very very favourite blocks for shiraz viognier, it just produces the most amazing fruit, we've lost 70 per cent there," he said.

"And for that block alone, you're looking at well over a million dollars worth of shiraz viognier."

Winemaker Ken Helm has lost two of his vineyards to frost damage, but he's confident there'll still be a decent crop this year.