Cold snap damages wine grape crops in Minnesota, Wisconsin

Cold snap damages wine grape crops in Minnesota, Wisconsin

(AP) — Vintners in southern Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota are reeling from a weekend cold snap that ruined huge swaths of their grapes.

An informal survey of growers shows at least 30 vineyards in that area lost more than 50 percent of their crops, he said.

Some wineries may yet see secondary grape buds on their vines, though it's unclear how much fruit they might bear as the plants recover from the freeze, he said.

Wineries already have their 2016 products on the shelves, but Wisconsin and Minnesota vintners will start to feel the pinch going into next year when the September harvests roll around.