After the Freeze: How Wineries Can Manage Extreme Crop Loss

Throughout April, most of the Eastern seaboard and parts of the Midwest experienced a series of frost and freeze events that will likely have an impact on the 2026 wine grape supply. The most extreme of these events was through the April 21^st morning in which several states experienced record low temperatures for several hours (Vigna 2026). 

While grape growers have access to a wealth of Extension and viticulture consulting resources on frost and freeze mitigation, winery businesses are largely left without guidance on how to manage the financial and operational fallout of severe crop loss. This post aims to help fill that gap by offering winery owners, winemakers, and managers a practical framework for navigating the financial, operational, and strategic production decisions that follow a severe crop loss event.

Mitigation Strategies for Extreme Crop Losses

The shocking part about the 2026 freeze is truly related to the area it affected. Because the freeze damaged any variety that had broken bud — and the event was widespread across the region — winery owners should not assume that replacement fruit will be easy to find locally. When an entire region suffers losses at the same time, local and regional bulk fruit markets tighten quickly.

So what can you do?

While not all of these strategies are meant for every wine brand, it is helpful to know what your options are during these times:

• Review your portfolio: If you have grown estate fruit that was impacted, it is worth reviewing your inventory and noting which wines will be impacted by the potential loss of fruit. When resources are scarce it is important to prioritize which products get attention first and determine where your focus will do the most good. For wineries that may face a dramatic fruit shortage, this means making deliberate, strategic decisions about which wines you will and won’t produce this vintage rather than trying to make everything within your portfolio and doing it all poorly. There are different strategies various wineries can take here.
  • Protect Flagship Wines: For some wine brands, protecting the flagship wines will be the main priority. These are wines that are most important to your brand identity and generate the highest margins. The wines that produce the highest margins are most important financially (i.e., provide the best return) on years in which there is lower supply. The overall recommendation here is to make less wine well than to spread limited fruit too thin across your entire portfolio. However, in the case of the most recent freeze event, it is likely many growers and wineries will face a shortage of white wine varieties. In this case, it may be difficult to provide substitutes for flagship white wines and winery owners need to decide on producing a different white wine with whatever is available or not producing a white wine all together.
  • Diversify the Wine Portfolio: However, it could also make financial sense for some wine brands to divert resources into wines that do not emphasize estate identity (due to the regional loss of fruit) (e.g.,“American” wines which are produced from local grapes and wine grapes grown in other parts of the country). While I understand that some wine brands do not identify with the production or sale of American wines, these wines do provide flexibility for production when extreme natural events occur. Here are a few variations on diversifying a wine portfolio.
    • Southern Hemisphere Fruit: Some wineries have begun diversifying in sourcing fruit, when able, from the Southern Hemisphere. Again, this provides the ability to flex the wine portfolio in the event that estate fruit is lost. As Southern Hemisphere fruit arrives in the “offseason” (April and May), these wines can be used for different purposes. Wineries can consider using them as blending components to improve year-to-year consistency or as standalone wines.
    • Fruit-Other-Than Grape Wines: Though the most recent freeze had an effect on other perennial orchard crops as well, there are various sources for fruit-other-than-grape that can get fermented into fruit wines. Again, having wines that does not rely on the regional identify can be useful from a business management perspective. Even if local fruit is affected by things like frost or freeze events, there are several suppliers across the country that can provide concentrates intended for fermentation. The benefit to using those concentrates is that it will provide a more flavorful wine and improve consistency for the fruit wine. For recommendations on fermentable concentrate suppliers, please use the Production Guide: Managing Extreme Crop Loss In Your Winery.
    • Wine Blends, In General: It remains surprising how many wine brands focus primarily on single-varietal wines, often overlooking the creative and commercial potential of blends. The benefit of blends is that you do not always need all the individual varieties in order to make that wine. You simply need a crafty winemaker that can create a consistent wine each vintage. Most of the renown wine regions depend on wine blends. This is a page that emerging wine regions need to get better acquainted with as time goes on.
• Begin sourcing bulk fruit or wine before the market tightens: When a natural disaster occurs over a wide spread area of the country, the realization that regional fruit may not be readily available begins to sink in. As so many states were affected in the most recent freeze event, it is likely everyone from Pennsylvania through Virginia will be affected by a loss of certain varieties. And while we still do not know the official outcome from the freeze event – after all, the secondaries could potentially provide enough fruit to meet many wineries’ needs – it doesn’t hurt to remember to touch base with suppliers and get a read on where they are at the moment. 
  • If You Know You Have Fruit: For regions that were not affected by the natural event, it could be helpful to touch base with state Extension offices and state industry associations to share that you may have fruit available for sale. This will help get word out to those wineries affected by a loss of fruit. 
  • Contacting Regional Growers: If you are a winery that sources fruit from other growers and/or vineyards that may/may not be out of state, it is a good idea to contact them and get an idea on how these events have impacted them. You want to stay top of mind, as many new people are likely to reach out to the growers you have sourced from regularly. The competition for fruit – especially local fruit – will become more intense if yields drop below a certain threshold for the upcoming vintage. Know what you want, or what you need, and communicate as appropriate throughout the growing season.
  • Contacting Regional Bulk Suppliers: Some wineries provide wine to regional wineries when they have an abundance of supply in various vintages. It is likely that when supply becomes scarce, those smaller supplies may also become scarce. It is perfectly normal for the winery supplying bulk to other wineries to reserve their needs before selling off wine to other wineries. Nonetheless, it is also a good idea to contact regional brokers and see if any current bulk wine is available to start filling your inventory needs. Keep in mind that I always recommend ordering a wine sample first and ensuring that what you will purchase in bulk is of good quality.
  • Contacting West Coast Brokers: Finally, for those who have interest in producing “American” wines, begin getting quotes from West Coast brokers that are likely to have available fruit for the 2026 vintage. Keep in mind that rising input and fuel costs over the last few years have created changes in reliability for grape deliveries. It is important to understand the terms of your agreements with the broker and get a cost estimate up front so you can plan accordingly.
• Evaluate the integration of formulaic wines: Formulaic wines – those wines that require formula approval by the TTB – are another avenue for wineries to explore that can be strategically integrated into the wine portfolio with less reliance on estate-grown or locally-grown fruit. I’ve previously discussed formula wines and how they can be integral to various wine brands. While many owners and winemakers still assume these kinds of wines can be “unserious,” the truth is that these wines come in all shapes and sizes, some with national reach and huge success. Check out the following for more information and ideas on formula wines.
  • 2026 Flavor & Food Trends Wineries Can Use: A review of current food and beverage trends that wineries can use for marketing advantages or product development.
  • From Prototype to Package: A Winemaker’s Roadmap to Formula Wine Success: The problem with formulaic wines is making them well. Many winemakers lack the product development skills required to make shelf-stable, long-lasting formulaic wines. But lucky for you, my background is in food science and this post reveals the process to making a high quality formula wine in a fraction of the time!
  • Cultivating Wine Cocktails with Jayme Henderson: Co-owner and winemaker, Jayme Henderson from The Storm Cellar (Colorado) reveals how her sommelier and cocktail creation skills work for their wine brand. For all winemakers that think wine cocktails or formulaic wines cannot be serious, this is the podcast episode that proves you can be a serious wine brand and make seriously amazing wine cocktails, too. (P.S. Just a small plug for Jayme here – her cocktails have been featured in Better Homes & Gardens. She’s the real deal!)
  • Formulating Untraditional Wines and Wine Products (DGW Access Required): DGW Members and Clients can review this article that explains the various ingredients that go into formula wines and how they are used to create quality wines.
• Explore non-fruit revenue: Begin planning supplemental revenue for the winery that does not include fruit, per se. This includes providing an event space for local businesses, creating events specific to your winery, or offering services to neighboring wineries (e.g., custom crush operations, analytical services, hospitality and/or tasting room staff training services, etc.) that can bring in additional revenue while inventory is low. For more specific examples related to non-fruit revenue, I have a list in the Production Guide: Managing Extreme Crop Loss In Your Winery available to all DGW Members and Clients. The key is finding revenue streams that leverage your existing infrastructure, align with your key brand values, and utilize your current staff.

For more detailed guidance with examples and resources on crop loss mitigation strategies mentioned above, see the accompanying Production Guide: Managing Extreme Crop Loss In Your Winery.

Integrate Communication with Your Customers

One of the most important steps a winery can take after a severe crop loss is communicating openly and honestly with its most loyal customers. Wine club members and DTC customers deserve to know why shipments may be reduced or certain wines unavailable. Transparent communication not only preserves trust — it can actually strengthen customer relationships. 

Additionally, social media extends this story beyond your existing customer base. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook allow winery owners to document the freeze event in real time by sharing honest, behind-the-scenes content that resonates with consumers who want to feel connected to the people and place behind the bottle. Rather than going quiet when the news is difficult, lean into the story.

Don’t Forget to Plan Ahead

The reality is, extreme weather events are becoming more prevalent, and nearly every growing season brings news of another wine region grappling with the aftermath of a natural disaster. It is hard — financially, operationally, and emotionally. 

But preparation is the single greatest differentiator between wineries that weather these events and those that don’t. 

Long before a freeze occurs, winery owners can take meaningful steps to protect their business: 

• reserving previous vintages to buffer against short-crop years, 
• building relationships with bulk fruit and wine suppliers before you desperately need them, and
• renegotiating grower contracts to include weather flex clauses that provide breathing room when nature doesn’t cooperate. Remember to treat your dependable growers well, especially during these times.

On the vineyard side, partnering with a consulting viticulturist to invest in frost protection infrastructure and diversifying plantings to stagger bud break timing across the vineyard can significantly reduce the scale of losses in the first place. 

And perhaps most importantly, every winery should have a scenario plan in place before disaster strikes — not after. A clear financial model that stress-tests your operation against a 20%, 40%, 60%, or 80% crop loss gives you a roadmap to follow when clear thinking is hardest to come by. For in-depth guidance on each of these strategies, including a step-by-step scenario plan example, see the accompanying Production Guide: Managing Extreme Crop Loss In Your Winery available to DG Winemaking Clients and Members.

The views and opinions expressed through dgwinemaking.com are intended for general informational purposes only. Denise Gardner Winemaking does not assume any responsibility or liability for those winery, cidery, or alcohol-producing operations that choose to use any of the information seen here or within dgwinemaking.com.