Others might invest in helicopters, which continually circulate the air above the vines, stopping the cold air from settling (but shaking up the bank balance in the process).
Another method is to run giant sprinklers through the night, causing water on the vines to freeze over the delicate, new growth.
As the water freezes, it releases latent heat. The amount of heat generated is tiny, but enough will get trapped between the green tissue and the ice to keep the vines protected as long as it doesn't get below -2.2C or stay cold for too long.
Grape varieties go through bud burst at different times but as a general rule, chardonnay is first out of the gate when it comes to spring growth. "We've got chardonnay which is about an inch and a half tall with light leaf," says Gary Heaven from Mahurangi River winery in Northland.
"We've got swelling in the syrah, a bit of swelling in the cabernet and merlot and a bit of leaf in the albarino and a bit of bud-swell in the roussanne. It's all happened a smidgen early, but we're on the early side of normal." Frost isn't too much of a problem for them as they're high up on a peninsula and close to the ocean.
But he has other concerns apart from frost. "For us a big wind or rain event around November is the thing we'd like to avoid because it stuffs up flowering," he says. If pollination can't occur - then no fruit.
Steve Voysey of Spade Oak Vineyard says he's got shoots up to 8 inches long, so the helicopters are on standby.
The latest frost he's experienced was a few years back, and it happened on November 11 - devastating stuff, but thankfully a rare event in Gisborne. Bud burst happened three weeks earlier than usual at Neudorf Vineyards in Nelson and for Matt Connell from Akarua in Bannockburn, Central Otago, the chardonnay has begun to grow two weeks early and the pinot's not far away.
"There's an increased risk of frosts, but it all depends on the [weather] fronts. We use wind machines and the slope of the estate to counter that risk."
Miles Dineen at Crossroads Vineyard in Hawke's Bay is hard at work bottling his white wines, but out in the vineyard every variety they grow is now fully under way so he's on frost alert. "We throw everything at it, choppers, sprinklers, fans - whatever's necessary," he says.
"Luckily it's been a pretty mild spring so far, but we've got a full moon later in the week and that's when bad things usually happen. Everyone says, 'We're 10 days early or two weeks late,' but then what is normal these days?"
China victory
Marlborough's Marisco Vineyards has been awarded the trophy for New Zealand Wine Producer of the Year at the China Wine and Spirits Awards, capping off an impressive haul of trinkets: four double-gold, six gold and two silver medals in the prestigious annual competition. For Kiwi producers, China is a rapidly growing and hugely exciting wine market.
"The Chinese market is very complex," says chief winemaker and proprietor Brent Marris. "One of the challenges is that it is culturally a very status-driven market, so old world wines have tended to dominate. But awards like this endow enormous status on our brands - new world wines generally and New Zealand wines specifically - and this win will build our brand profile, and help increase distribution and cement our foothold in the Chinese market."
Marisco Vineyards has distributed its wines in China since June 2011 under a national distribution agreement with Tianjin Dynasty International Wine Company.
WINES OF THE WEEK
Black Estate Waipara Valley Chardonnay 2011 $32
I really like the aromas and flavours in this wine; they're crazy but so appealing. Popcorn, smoked pork, fennel, grapefruit and spicy roast peach all wrapped up in a blanket of fresh acidity, toasty, biscuity oak and and mineral elements. Nice stuff, and has loads of development potential. www.blackestate.co.nz
Mills Reef Reserve Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2012 $24
A big, bold, grilled nectarine, caramelised peach and all sorts of stone-fruity goodness just ooze from the glass. Grapefruit notes and a luscious, succulent, brulee-ish mouthfeel, pure fruit, elegant acidity and excellent length of flavour. www.millsreef.co.nz.
Mahi Twin Valleys Vineyard Marlborough Chardonnay 2011 $39
Wow! Created from 100 per cent clone 95 fruit sourced from a 0.8 of a hectare vineyard, there's a fantastic freshness and an explosion of juicy pineapple, peach and mandarin in this wine. I love the layers of clean, toasty oak, caramelised fruit and its beautifully textural, multi-dimensional mouthfeel. Wonderful, my kind of chardonnay. www.mahiwine.co.nz
Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay 2012 $64
One hundred per cent whole bunch pressed, with 100 per cent of the juice fermented in barrel using 100 per cent wild yeast - this is a recipe that has created a 100 per cent gorgeous chardonnay. Groaning with spicy, grilled stonefruit layers that are edged with grapefruit and stitched together with elegant acidity, this wine definitely deserves attention. www.neudorf.co.nz
