Vineyard and orchard owners face long night battling frosts

A frost could severely damage or even destroy many of the country's grapevines
 
Vineyard and orchard owners in the South Island are preparing for a long night fighting an expected frost.

Crops in Central Otago, Waipara and Marlborough are most at risk, however North Island vineyards could also be hit.

In some orchards, the only protection comes from wind machines that break up the blanket of cold air that settles on the vines. And if they fail, frost could kill the entire crop.

"If it was a bit earlier in the season and the shoots were a bit shorter in growth, then we would get a second bud coming through," Dayne Sherwood from Sherwood Estate Wines said. "With the growth we have it is potentially disastrous for us."

The frost is being caused by the same weather system that dumped snow on parts of the South Island. The big Antarctic blasts the country experienced on Wednesday has delivered some cold air. That cold air has yet to move anywhere, so it is likely to freeze overnight.

Many grapegrowers use helicopters to get the cold air moving and as many as 500 could be in action above vineyards across the country tonight.

Unwelcome but not unheard of at this time of the year, frosts can even strike as late as December.

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