Force of Nature
Inside Frost Watch at Abingworth Vineyard
TENACITY and the harsh reality of English wine growing
A vineyard’s greatest challenge is the unpredictability of the weather and climate change. One of the most devastating times of year in the UK is the arrival of late frosts...
As we planted the vineyard in 2022, we have a short history to compare with in how we handled previous Frost Watches, and we have been very lucky until now. 2026 was the first year we had to take more drastic action.
The team had to light hundreds of wax candle pots strategically between vine rows in the dead of night to raise the temperature by a few degrees and prevent damage to our primary buds.
Tumbledown Hill — natural protection
In 2024, which many would agree was a challenging year, our site naturally helped prevent devastating damage.
The Tumbledown Hill Pinot Site site requires no interference due to the pocket of space at the bottom of the plantings, where cold air is trapped and kept away from the vines, preventing damage.
There is also a stream that traps the cold, as well as nearby neighbouring resident homes, making the gentle sloping field ideal against the formidable frosts.
Even this year, the damage we’ve had has been around 10%, with a brief drop to -1.5 degrees.
Greenhurst — UNDER FROST WATCH
Our Greenhurst site, on the other hand, has a slight disadvantage, meaning it takes our attention at this time of year.
Early budburst at our Greenhurst site began in Chardonnay in early March 2025, with small shoots appearing in early April, while our other varieties started to catch up—waking up in the following order:
Pinot Noir → Pinot Gris → Cabaret Noir → Sauvignon Blanc
With our first two frost events of the season, we trialled our new Frolight system alongside the traditional bougies—a sustainable alternative to the candles we had not used until this season.
Frost nights and intervention
With the team being notified by our weather stations (sometimes as early as 1am) that the temperature would drop to below -2 degrees, we acted immediately.
Without intervention by lighting all the bougies by hand and monitoring them the damage would have been far greater.
While the bougie candles burned in unison, creating a striking scene across the vineyard, we reflected on how fortunate we had been in previous years not to have faced the need to manage frost on this scale.
Impact on the vines
The greatest damage is at the foot of the Greenhurst vineyard site, where our Cabaret Noir and Sauvignon Blanc have been affected most.
Although there are losses of 50%, there is hope for the secondary buds for our hybrid Cabaret Noir.
With the expected sunshine and warmth coming, we feel optimistic that the fruit coming through will be of high quality.
As the year began with an unusually warm period, the ground became exceptionally dry, slowing early growth. With the return of more balanced rainfall, the vines are now able to continue their development
Looking ahead
Moving forward, our Head of Winemaking and Viticulture, Dom Travers, says caution with green harvest is the next best step to manage the small impact of the frost.
The team are currently working on removing any dead fruit, and shoot selection is imperative to fruit quality at harvest.
It’s not all doom and gloom, but in fact painstaking detail.
We also plan to use organic seaweed spray as a biostimulant to boost photosynthesis, fruit set, and plant resilience.
A living vineyard
As a young vineyard, we view challenges as essential to understanding our wines, the land we tend, and how best to nurture it.
Over time, this can only help us improve, problem solve and become more resilient.
We must keep the focus, work with the community around us, and prepare as best as we can for what comes next.
Wine is a living thing, after all, evolving due to a multitude of natural and man-made influences. That complexity makes it more worthwhile when it’s ready to drink.
Wine is really an epic adventure.
-
Each vintage at Abingworth is shaped by the seasons, the elements and most importantly the team year round. -
Explore our wines and discover the influence captured in every bottle.
