A Most Challenging Vintage: Inside the Aftermath of a Killer Frost

Some Virginia and Maryland wineries are rethinking what they grow

Japanese maple trees are an important part of the color palette of my neighborhood in suburban Maryland, outside Washington, D.C. Their blood-red leaves contrast with the greens and yellows of spring, then turn flame golden-red in autumn to catch the late afternoon sun in a burst of glory. Today I noticed the top branches of our tree are brown. The neighbor’s tree across the street also has some shriveled leaves, as do several around the neighborhood to varying degrees.

These woeful trees are just one reminder that 2026 is painfully out of whack.

They were victims of the frost, or freeze, or apocalyptic weather event, whatever you want to call it, of April 21, when temperatures plunged to 24F for several hours just days after a warming spell in the 90s shot the world into an exuberant burst of growth.

April frost is not unusual in the Mid-Atlantic. We’re used to the warnings to bring our tomato plants inside and cover our garden beds. We’re not used to losing our maple trees.

Headlines about the devastation of April 21 focused appropriately on vineyards, with many wineries in Virginia, Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania reporting as much as 90 percent crop loss for 2026 in the initial aftermath. The effects on our gardens illustrate how severe this frost was.

A month later, the impact of the frost on local vineyards still isn’t clear.

"A Gut Punch": Spring Freeze Devastates Vineyards in the Mid-Atlantic

“This is my 47th year growing wine grapes,” Jim Law of Linden Vineyards in Virginia wrote in his email newsletter on May 22. “It feels like it could be my first. I truly don’t know what to expect of vintage 2026.”

Law’s Hardscrabble vineyard suffered damage from 0 percent to 100 percent “depending on where you were standing,” he said. “This presents a complexity of vineyard management that I am still trying to wrap my head around.”

It didn’t help that this week, just as surviving vines were pushing secondary tendrils and beginning to flower, the Mid-Atlantic was socked in by several days of cool rainy weather. “Pollination succeeds best under warm, dry conditions,” he wrote.

“For me, it’s becoming a real case study of what works here even after a generational frost event. So we’re going to make some changes.” — Drew Baker, Burnt Hill Farm

The rain at flowering is affecting even those vineyards that escaped devastation on April 21 by limiting fertilization and fruit set. While this may not hurt quality, it can reduce quantity in a season already hit hard. “This vintage will likely go down in Virginia wine history as one of the most challenging, if not THE most challenging we have faced,” said Christine Vrooman, co-owner of Ankida Ridge Vineyards near Amherst, Va. Ankida escaped significant damage on April 21 because of its high altitude, but the vineyard was in full flower when this week’s rain set in.

Frost damage and a secondary shoot on a vine at Burnt Hill Farm in Clarksburg, Md. Photo: Drew Baker on Facebook

Chelsey Blevins, winemaker at Fifty-Third Winery in Louisa, Va., chronicled the sporadic growth of her Albariño vines after the frost on her Facebook page. “I don’t think we’re going to make much Albariño,” she said. “Most of it will probably go into a blend, if we decide to keep the fruit.” Frosted vines were slow to drop their dead leaves as the cool weather slowed recovery, and some vines were dead and destined to be ripped out — and probably not replaced with Albariño.

At Burnt Hill Farm in Clarksburg, Maryland, vintner Drew Baker decided the freeze was an opportunity — if not an imperative — to make changes in the vineyard.

“Many varieties are starting to bounce back,” he said, including Regent, a hybrid red developed for its resilience in a challenging climate. “For me, it’s becoming a real case study of what works here even after a generational frost event. So, we’re going to make some changes.”

The frost hit especially hard on lower parts of the slope at Burnt Hill, forcing some difficult discussions about replanting at a vineyard that was just beginning to hit its stride. A block of champagne clone Chardonnay, intended for sparkling wine to welcome guests to Burnt Hill, was “largely killed,” Baker said.

“Instead of trying to rehab it, we’re going to remove it and transition that block from vinifera to a more climate-resilient variety.” That involves removing the trellis system and pulling the vines, planting summer buckwheat to feed pollinators and protect the soil. Buckwheat harvested in the fall will be milled onsite into flour to be used in Burnt Hill’s kitchen. The ground will then be replanted with hard red winter wheat which will become bread flour in the spring, when the block will be replanted with a new grape variety.

“In the big picture, we’re taking this as an opportunity to make a change, and that’s what I’m most excited about,” Baker said.

These dreary assessments a month later, as well as the visible reminders in our own gardens, should strengthen our resolve to support local wineries this year. Not everyone will have the resources to replant large portions of their vineyards. Surviving vines may not fully recover for a year or more. They need the support of the wine community: Visit an extra winery or two, buy an extra bottle. Ask for local wines at your retailer or favorite restaurant.

For at least a few years, and probably much longer, we will be discussing the impact of the “generational frost” of April 21, 2026, on viticulture in the Eastern United States. This story is only beginning.