Spring Frost Strikes Nemea and Mantinia: Two Mornings That Changed the 2026 Vintage

Spring frost in early May caused notable damage to vineyards in two of the Peloponnese’s key wine regions. Nemea is facing major losses, mostly on the plain, while Mantinia has been affected across a broad area. A clearer understanding of the final impact on production will become clear in the coming weeks.

By Yiannis Karakasis MW

Spring had begun with the promise of a good harvest in Nemea. The vines were bearing a generous load, in some areas with more than 30 bunches per vine, and the overall feeling was that the region might finally move beyond a series of challenging years in terms of volume. The winter had been favourable, fruit set appeared strong, and the prospect of a more generous harvest had encouraged cautious optimism among growers and wineries.

That picture changed within just two mornings. A late-spring frost in early May struck when the vegetative growth was already well underway, and the vines were in a sensitive stage. On Sunday morning and, especially, on Monday, May 4, temperatures dropped below zero in parts of the Peloponnese. In Mantinia, temperatures of around minus 1 and minus 2 degrees Celsius were recorded, while in Nemea, the damage mostly affected the lower-lying areas of the region and the plain.

[caption id="attachment_27549" align="aligncenter" width="1499"] Temperatures in Mantinia[/caption]