Kentville Research and Development Centre
2023-24 Bud Hardiness Report No. 1 - Nova Scotia
Attached, from Jeff Franklin and Dr. Harrison Wright, is Nova Scotia bud hardiness report #1 for the 2023-24 year. The Nova Scotia wine grape bud hardiness survey generates occasional reports of the low temperature exotherm (LTE) values over the dormant period (roughly from late October to late April).
Note from the research team: Our first survey for the 2023/24 season shows LTE50 values clustered together and slightly higher than the average values observed on the same date over the previous five years (2017 to 2022). Historic LTE50 values for this date are Chardonnay -20.8 °C, L’Acadie Blanc -21.8 °C, Marquette - 23.8 °C, and Riesling -20.6 °C. This difference is small and should disappear as we head into the winter months. In spite of this difference, there is currently a wide margin of safety between forecasted temperatures and bud hardiness values. Long-term forecasts predict that the daily
minimum temperatures will be average or slightly above for the next two weeks.
Our survey has changed slightly from previous years as we no longer include Pinot Noir and have replaced it with the more abundant New York Muscat. Previous years of the survey showed that Pinot Noir had similar bud hardiness to Chardonnay and Riesling, and we consider those varieties to be a good estimate for Pinot Noir.