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Ontario, has over 15,000 acres
of vineyards and more than 140 wineries located in four wine regions:
Prince Edward County, Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore and Pelee
Island. These wine regions
lie in the centre of the world’s wine belt, between 41° - 44°N. They
share similar climates conditions as the wine regions in Burgundy and
Bordeaux, France. Unique to Ontario is the warm breeze off the Great Lakes
that provide micro-climates ideal for growing premium grape varieties,
which in turn produce fine wines. Many
of Canada’s winemakers have studied and worked abroad gaining knowledge
and ‘hands on’ experience of grape growing and winemaking techniques.
In addition, professional winemakers are leaving the vineyards of
France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and California to be
part of the rapidly growing Canadian wine industry.
The leading question always
asked of a winemaker during ‘Crush’ is…”How
does this year’s crop of grapes look?” In Niagara-on-the-Lake, Lailey
Vineyard’s winemaker Derek Barnett reports, “The grapes are phenomenal
this year. I anticipated that
we would harvest around September 15th or 18th.
But with the warm summer, and now the moderately cool evening
temperatures that slows down the growth of the grapes, we are waiting
until the Brix level (natural sugar level in the grapes) increases, which
brings richer flavours to the wine. This means that we will be harvesting
at the end of the September or maybe even later. The longer the grapes are
on the vine, the better.” Prince Edward County, located in
the Picton area on the shores of Lake Ontario, is Ontario’s up and
coming wine region. The ‘County’ as it is often referred to, is a 2 ½
to 3 hour drive from Ottawa; perfect for a day trip or a quick weekend
getaway. During the past couple of years,
Accredited Sommeliers of The Savvy
Grapes have been visiting this area and have been impressed by how
orchards and farmers fields have been transformed into vineyards and
wineries. This year marks the first “Crush” for a number of new
wineries as they get ready to harvest their grapes for the first time.
As wineries wait for the optimum
time to pick their grapes, there is never an idle moment.
While the grapes continue to ripen in the sun, some wineries cover
their acres of vines with netting to protect the juicy grapes from the
birds. Some vineyards have
installed wind machines that automatically activate when the temperature
drops. These mini
windmill-like machines circulate the warmer ground air throughout the
vineyard in effort to prevent frost damage to the vines and the grapes. At all of the vineyards, winemakers are found walking the
rows of their vineyard picking samples of grapes to check the Brix level.
When the Brix level reaches between 20 to 25 degrees, “Crush”
begins. The weeks during “Crush”, is
a chaotic and busy time to visit. Teams of pickers and tractors haul
containers of grapes to the “Crush Pad” (operations area) at the
winery. From here, the grapes
are hand sorted, then loaded into the “Crusher” machine where the
grapes are transformed into juice. In the case of white wine, the juice is
separated from the “must” (wine speak for grape skins and pips) then
pumped into stainless steel tanks. For
rosé and red wines, the juice and the “must” are mixed together in
the steel tanks for a few days to several weeks until the preferred colour
is extracted from the pigment of the grape skins and the desired aromas
and flavour are achieved. The winemaking process continues long after the
excitement of “Crush” has quieted down. For visitors to participate in
“Crush”, wineries and nearby towns often host special events and
harvest festivals: In Prince Edward County:
In Niagara:
Debbie Trenholm is an Accredited
Sommelier and President of The Savvy
Grapes a unique company that hosts winemaker's dinners, Sommelier wine
tastings, wine tours, and wine and food events for private and corporate
clients. To receive invitations to The
Savvy Grapes upcoming events, or to have The Savvy Grapes
host your company’s next event, contact Debbie on debbie@thesavvygrapes.com
or 613-851-1785. SIDEBAR: The Accredited Sommeliers of The
Savvy Grapes, frequently visit wineries across Canada, meeting the
winemakers and sampling their wines. For our suggested list of ‘must
visit’ wineries and recommendations on wines to sample, contact tours@thesavvygrapes.com
Pack a wine guide book to help you navigate
around wine country.
A trip to wine country not in your
immediate plans? Have wines shipped directly to
you each month Attend the Ottawa Wine and Food Show ------------If you would like to re-publish this article or would like The Savvy Grapes to write in your publication, contact Debbie directly. Cheers! |
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All rights reserved. OUR
PRIVACY POLICY: The Savvy Grapes will
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