By Dana Dean
Augusta, Mo (KSDK) -- The unusually warmer weather this winter has plants thinking it is spring, so the owners of Missouri Wineries are on edge.
Mount Pleasant Winery in Augusta lost 95% of its crop in 2007. The president of the winery says they experienced a winter similar to this one, where it was warmer in January and February. That caused the crop to come out, and then when March rolled around, it froze off.
Right now, around Mount Pleasant Winery, they fear a major crop failure like in '07. They are already seeing buds on trees. The president of the winery thinks if there's one more week of warm weather, they'll see leaves on trees. That matters because, historically, grapevines follow right behind the trees, which could mean that buds on those grapevines would swell up and the crop would come out.
Growers say it's too early for this to be happening.
"We are scared to death," said Chuck Dressel of Mount Pleasant Winery. "We love warm weather but we love it in March. In January and February in the wintertime, we should be sledding down these hills, we should be having a traditional winter. But right now it feels like spring, and our grapevines and everything think it may be spring, we far we may start blossoming here if we are not careful."
They are hoping for temperatures around 25 degrees and even some snow. Then in March, they want warm weather and no freezing temperatures.
KSDK