The photo above is just one of a series posted today on Facebook by Asti grower Gianluca Morino.

“Such a widespread event has never happened,” he wrote in the post.

Freezing cold temperatures have been reported throughout Italy today and northern Italy seems to be the hardest hit by this unusual spring frost.

I’ve spoken to at least one northern Italian winemaker who told me that his harvest is going to be severely affected.

The only mainstream report I’ve been able to find so far appeared on PadovaOggi (Padua Today): “not everything is compromised but there will definitely be a drop in production,” said Federico Miotto, president of Coldiretti Padova, the Padua chapter of the Italian federation of wine and food growers.

He called the situation a “climatic anomaly,” noting that the freezing temperatures had “boiled” the shoots and leaves in vineyards in the Colli Euganei.

Spring freezes can interrupt the vines’ growing cycle when the young shoots (like the ones in the photo above) are extremely vulnerable to cold temperatures.

It’s too early to assess the extent of the damage but I will be following the story closely as it develops.