Bursting with data for productive outcomes
21st April 2025
Spring is a hopeful season for many. It brings blossoms, blooms and bud burst. But it also brings harsh frost vents, which can be detrimental for winegrowers.
With delicate new buds emerging in April and May, spring frosts can cause irreparable damage. As such, this is a time of year when data collection becomes a core focus for experienced viticulturists.
At Vinescapes, the team has recently rolled out a beta-phase app to record bud burst across the UK to track bud burst per variety and location.
Making informed decisions
Developed with the help of WeatherQuest, Vinewatch, Plumpton College and UK Agri-Tech Centre, and with support from WineGB, the Bud Burst Hub, which includes a web app to record bud burst as it occurs, will help growers, and the sector make informed decisions and identify the sites most vulnerable to frost conditions.
This is an example of the type of data management which can provide the insights vineyard owners and managers need to proactively manage risks and farm more efficiently.
Vinescapes CEO, Dr Alistair Nesbitt who developed the VineMAP system for evaluating land for potential grape-growing in England and Wales said data collection, collation and analysis has transformed the way winegrowers manage their vineyards.
“Thanks to GPS, smartphones, AI and intuitive software, it is becoming easier and easier to generate useful datasets to evaluate weather events and conditions from season-to-season and give us the tools to predict the potential productivity of vineyards.
“Our team not only conducts manual counts like the number of earthworms or inflorescence across vineyards which we then recorded in secure databases; we also test and analyse soil and grape samples, and use predictive software to assess climate data – all of which makes it easier to make the right decisions in the vineyard to deliver quality fruit at harvest.”
Viticulturist and operations manager at Vinescapes, Joel Jorgensen said the Bud Burst App and data hub will be a great reference point for vineyard managers who carefully monitor weather stations, soil and vine health throughout spring.
“We use the data we record to plan ahead – to decide if and when we need to act.
“The new app to record bud burst will help us to decide when we need to take preventative measures to protect new buds from frost.
“Tracking bud burst also provides helpful insight into when we can expect to schedule labour crews for canopy management.”
Climate variability
Climate variability is a core concern for wine producers.
The 2024 harvest proved how much growers are at the mercy of weather conditions.
Joel said the more winegrowers can put in place a rigorous data management system to understand their site, the more prepared they are likely to be to combat challenging weather events.
The Bud Burst Hub is part of a two-year frost management research project funded by Innovate UK and DEFRA.
The project is called ‘Smarter Forecasting, Communication and Management of Frost Risk in Vineyards’. The Bud Burst Hub is just one element of the project.
Talk to Vinescapes about your vineyard needs: Info@vinescapes.com | 01306 733960
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