Räpina School of Horticulture is satisfied with this year's grape harvest. Last year there was almost nothing to pick.

"Compared to last year, it's very good, because last year's spring frost took all the blossoms, so we only got a taste. This year there was also a spring frost in May, which took the blossom away, but it still recovered. So we have a grape harvest here tomorrow and we will see how much we get. You can see it is not the worst, but it is not the best either," Epp Säga, a teacher at the school, told Wednesday's "Aktuaalne kaamera."

Almost 400 vines are growing in the Rõhu experimental station of the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu County. The grapes are ready for picking regardless of the changeable weather.

"I must emphasize that there is no hardier plant than the grapevine. Even if the first buds freeze, it will produce additional ones — the will to live is so strong. After the cold spell, there was a very warm period, which provided all the necessary strength, and in fact, the flowering occurred earlier than usual, " explained Kadri Karp, professor emeritus.

However, a large harvest is not expected at the experimental station, as the grapes' sugar content is considered to be more important.

"If the vine would bear as much as it wants, we would not get the right grape. We are experimenting with wine varieties at the University of Life Sciences, and here all the berries have to ripen in exactly the same way, because we pick for sugar and acidity, not for flavor. If we harvest too much, as the vine itself would like, we will not get the ripeness we need," explained Karp.

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