Hungary’s May Frost Devastates Vineyards

A severe frost that hit Hungary on May 1 may have wiped out most of the grape crop in the country’s Great Plain region, threatening at least 30 billion forints, or about $82 million, in lost revenue for the wine sector, according to industry estimates reported by Telex and Agrárágazat.

The cold was unusually intense in parts of eastern Hungary. In Nyírtass, in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, the temperature fell to minus 5.3 degrees Celsius before dawn, setting a local record for the date. Growers and industry officials said the damage was concentrated in the Alföld, where more than 23,000 hectares of vineyards are planted. In the worst-hit areas, they estimate that close to 80% of those vines froze completely.

János Frittmann, who heads both the Kunság wine region and Hungary’s National Council of Wine Communities, said the situation was so severe that “this year there will be no harvest,” though costs will still remain. His comments reflected reports from growers who said many vineyards now have no green buds and no developing shoots left to save.

The Hajós-Baja and Kunság wine regions appear to have taken the hardest hit. In Hajós-Baja, more than 1,500 of its 1,800 hectares were damaged. In Kunság, which has more than 20,000 hectares of vineyards, roughly three-quarters may have suffered total or near-total frost damage.

The frost came at a critical stage in bud break, when vines are especially vulnerable. Growers also entered May after an unusually dry April. Only 4 millimeters of rain fell during the month instead of the usual 40 millimeters, leaving soils dry and humidity low. That weakened the vines’ water balance and made even a milder frost more destructive.

The National Council of Wine Communities said it would ask Hungary’s Agriculture Ministry on May 4 for emergency measures to help offset losses. Industry officials are also pressing for fast support because the damage goes beyond this year’s crop. Even where there will be little or nothing to harvest, vineyards still need to be maintained, at a cost estimated at 800,000 to 1.1 million forints per hectare.