A Unique Test to Protect Vines from Incoming Frost

Key facts:

• The Habánské sklepy winery, part of the BOHEMIA SEKT Group, has launched a unique test of vine frost resistance using UV Boosting, a UV-C-based technology developed at the University of Avignon in France. It is the first such trial in Czech conditions.
• Only a few wineries in Europe have tested UV Boosting against frost, applying it 48 hours before frost arrives and repeating it up to twice more during prolonged cold.
• The test targets critical spots – near water surfaces and lower slopes – where frost typically strikes, at a time when the growing season was around 14 days ahead of normal.

Winemakers' concerns about the weather have come true. Above-average warm days have given way to a cold spell. The Habánské sklepy winery, part of the BOHEMIA SEKT Group, has therefore launched a unique test of plant frost resistance.

For the experiment, the company used UV Boosting, a technology based on UV-C radiation developed by a team from the University of Avignon in France. BOHEMIA SEKT has been using this device since last year, primarily to strengthen the vines' immunity against the impacts of drought and disease.

"Only a few wineries in Europe have tried a frost-resistance test with UV Boosting, and it turned out that the technology can also work as a defence against frost. However, you need to go out 48 hours before the frost sets in, and if the low temperatures last longer, it can be repeated up to twice more," says François Sement, Head of Biology Research & Development at UV Boosting.

In Czech conditions, this is the first such trial. "Frost usually does not affect the entire vineyard, but only critical spots – near bodies of water or in the lower parts of slopes. Given the unfavourable weather forecast, we decided to test the effects of UV Boosting in selected rows in these locations," said Petr Ptáček, Director of the Habánské sklepy winery.

When the test was launched, growth in the vineyards was around 14 days ahead of normal. A drop in temperatures below freezing at this stage of the plants' development would already cause damage to the future crop. "Grapes from the part of the vineyard hit by frost can have a different character from those on the rest of the vineyard. They usually achieve a lower quantity and smaller size and ripen at a different time, which is a problem for both harvesting and processing the grapes. Of course, it also increases the cost of the harvest," added Petr Ptáček.