Helicopters Used to Try to Save New Zealand Vines
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New Zealand Wine Zones |
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The night of October 18, 2007, some 100 helicopters were called in by the Marlborough region winegrowers as an anti-frost measure. The choppers hovered over vineyards throughout the night in the hope of saving the budding plants from freezing.
Australian national television Channel One News reported that the scene "resembled a war movie", as the helicopters flew in circles over the vineyards, as the draft created by their rotor blades pushed down and circulated the higher, warmer air around the vines. Some of aircrews had flown in from over 400 kilometers (over 248 miles) away to reach the affected area.
More traditional methods, such as the use of wood burners in the fields were employed as well by the local growers, who report that the current climate condition amounts to some of the worst frosts ever seen during the budding season in the down-under wine production zones.
According to local vintners, it will take several days to assess the exact extent of the frost damage to their vines.
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