A cold blast the night of April 20-21 brought freezing temperatures to North Jersey and killed newly sprouted buds and leaves at vineyards across the region, including those in Warren County.
“Temperatures here dropped to 24 degrees around 6 a.m. I lost 100 percent of my buds” said Paul Ritter, owner of Brook Hollow Winery in Columbia, Knowlton Township, NJ. “In addition to dead buds and leaves, we are also seeing split canes from the sap freezing,” Ritter added.
At the southern end of Warren County, Steve Gambino, owner of Villa Milagro Vineyard in Finesville, Pohatcong Township, reported, “We hit only 28 degrees but that was enough to take out over 80 percent of our crop.”
“Vineyards in the entire state suffered,” said Audrey Cross, a board member of the Garden State Wine Growers Association and Villa Milagro Vineyards owner. “From the tip of Cape May, through the flatlands of the middle of the state, to those of us in the rolling hills of northern counties, Mother Nature applied an even hand.”
Vineyard owners must now wait for vines to recover and push secondary buds. Secondary buds are usually far less fruitful than the primaries that were killed by this frost and will lead to a much smaller crop yield for this 2026 vintage.
“Last year yielded bumper crops so our stockpile of prior vintages and the 2025 crop will carry us through. Please do come on out to support us by buying and drinking local wines,” said Cross.
Warren County is home to the state of New Jersey’s first designated American Viticultural Area, the Warren Hills AVA. The state boasts three others, Central Delaware Valley, Outer Coastal Plain and Cape May Peninsula.
Meanwhile, Warren County's five wineries are all part of the Warren County Grains & Grapes Trail, linking them with three microbreweries, a brewpub and a distillery.