Cecily Ray • May 1, 2025
Bud Break in the Vineyard
Bud Break in the Vineyard
What is Bud Break?
It is an exciting time of year as bud break marks the beginning of a new growth cycle! For the Winter months, the linear rows of the vineyards sat bare and quiet with morning fogs moving through. The vines have spent that time dormant and reserving energy beneath the ground. Now with the arrival of Spring, the vines awake and show green buds appearing along their limbs. Bud break usually occurs in March to April when the daylight hours increase and the temperatures warm. The seasonal change encourages the vines to pull stored water and nutrients from the roots to the limbs, which begins the swelling buds.
Why is Bud Break Important?
The success of the entire growing season depends on this moment. The buds and following shoot development are this year's crop. Growers must pay close attention as the weather can be inconsistent this time of year. For example, it can be a beautiful warm morning one day and then frigid cold the next day. Frost is a big concern on cold mornings when temperatures drop below 32F. Frost damage can destroy the tender buds on the vines and hurt the crop for the year. The damage would result in less wine available for a vintage. It can even mean an entire loss of grapes. That is why this time of year is exciting, but also nerve-wracking.
How to Protect Vine Buds
Growers have developed ways to handle frost protection for the vines. A popular way is through wind machines. The machines help circulate the higher, warmer air into the vines. Another option is to run an overhead sprinkler system that coats the vines with water. The water turns to ice on the buds because water in the liquid form when changed to its ice state gives off heat! This is a stable structure at a lower energy state. Pretty interesting!
2025 Bud Break in Paso Robles
This year at Parrish Family Vineyard, we saw bud break begin in early April. In our Adelaida Vineyard, we saw our Syrah block develop buds first. This is due to the Syrah vines being on a hill and an aspect facing Southeast towards the sun, which will encourage faster growth. The lower areas of the vineyard develop more slowly as it is cooler.
The temperatures have been warmer this Spring with the mornings sitting in the 40s. This is mainly due to our elevation. We haven’t had to run any frost protection measures, but we are ready to go if there is that one morning with 32 degrees, which occasionally happens.
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