Production Guide: Managing Extreme Crop Loss in Your Winery

When Natural Disaster Leads to a Loss of Fruit

An early season freeze event. Flooding. Severe hail and windstorms. Wildfires.

We all know the natural disasters that can affect wine grape yields and quality.

But what happens when a natural disaster drastically reduces the volume of wine we can produce?

The truth is, most available resources focus on the vineyard side of the operation — how to minimize frost and freeze damage, protect fruit from weather events, and rebuild after a loss. Guidance for the winery business itself is far harder to come by. When fruit simply isn’t available for an upcoming harvest, many winery owners are left wondering how to maintain inventory, revenue, and momentum.

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