Budbreak in Southwest Michigan Reported
by
Mark Ganchiff
·
March 20, 2012
On March 20th, the Michigan State University Extension in Benton Harbor reported budbreak in area vineyards. Jeff Lemon, manager at Lemon Creek Winery in Berrien Springs, Michigan, said that he has not seen budbreak at his vineyard, but he thinks it will be today or tomorrow. “The Baco Noir and the Chancellor will be the first to go,” Lemon said. Lemon, who has worked at his family’s winery for 28 years, said that he has never seen vines so mature this early in the season. Lemon believes that the question now is when grape bloom will occur. If bloom were to follow the same pattern as budburst, which of course cannot be predicted, bloom clusters would start appearing in early May which is a month earlier than normal in Southern Michigan. “It’s possible we could be picking grapes in August,” said Lemon with a chuckle that recognizes that farm planning is partially a matter of staying flexible.
Tags: Jeff Lemon Lemon CreekLemon Creek WineryMichigan fruit spring 2012Michigan spring weather 2012
Mark Ganchiff
Mark Ganchiff is the publisher of Midwest Wine Press, the leading source of news on the growing wine industry in the central United States. Mark has been a wine judge at the 2012 and 2014 INDY International Wine Competition, the 2014 Cold Climate Wine Competition, the 2013 Mid-American Wine Competition, the 2012 Illinois State Fair Wine Competition and the 2013 Michigan Wine Competition. He also enjoys speaking at wine events including the Cold Climate Wine Conference, the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association Annual Meeting, the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference and the Wisconsin Fruit and Vegetable Conference. Mark's articles about regional wine have appeared in Vineyard & Winery Management, WineMaker and several regional magazines.
Mark is a Level One Sommelier in the Court of Master Sommeliers. He lives in Louisville, but also has a residence in Chicago.
You may also like...
