MAY 2012
CELEBRATING 132 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION
VOLUME 62 NUMBER 05
The winds of climate change challenge growers With norms uprooted, the grape industry seeks stabililty in local data KAREN DAVIDSON What many oenophiles may not know is that this year’s vintage started in March. Under wind machines. At dawn break. That’s when Glen Koop, and other Ontario grape growers, were monitoring unseasonable temperatures and the abnormally rapid deacclimatization of grapes. Many wine grapevines are susceptible to winter injury beginning around -18° C in winter months but they become more tender as they come out of dormancy. Activated by warm temperatures, the grapevine gradually starts to form new shoots for the next growing season. Cold spring temperatures can freeze the susceptible buds and vascular tissue, snarling nutrient traffic. “There is no such thing as a normal year,” says Koop, who’s been recording temperatures in his St. Catharines vineyards for 27 years. “There are certain markers in a growing season and they can be off by two weeks.” Koop has a lot at stake. With 225 acres of vinifera and French hybrid grapes contracted to Peller Estates and Vincor, he’s anxious to preserve his vines through the extremes of winter as well as the sudden spikes of spring temperatures. Understanding the acclimatizing and deacclimatizing of vines has become crucial for viticulture. And while many grape
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Ontario grape growers have put a stake in the ground to combat climate change. With funding from the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), they are monitoring temperatures and vines to prevent winter injury. CCOVI’s viticulturist Jim Willwerth (R) and his team post regional temperatures at the VineAlert website for all of Ontario’s grape-growing areas. He provides counsel on critical growth stages as the vines have deacclimated much faster than usual this spring. That’s comfort to St. Catharines, Ontario farmer Glen Koop who has spent many sleepless nights supervising his wind machines. Photos by Denis Cahill. growers have invested in wind machines to moderate temperatures, at a cost of $50 per hour for each propane-powered mill, the decision to flip the switch must be more than intuitive. With temperature variances within his own farm, Koop must decide which of 17 machines to activate and when. The science behind making these decisions is getting better, thanks to VineAlert, a pioneering program developed and operated by the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI). Funded by a triumvirate of sources – federally by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, provincially by Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation and by industry’s Grape Growers of Ontario and Ontario Grape and Wine Research Inc. -- the grape industry is testing vine hardiness on a regional and varietal basis. And it’s being done not just in the Niagara Peninsula but in the Prince Edward County and Lake
Erie North Shore viticultural areas. Overall, $2.86 million has been awarded to CCOVI to address climate change issues in the Ontario grape and wine industry. It’s designed to diversify and sustain the sector at least 30 years into the future. “This is a proactive approach to assist the industry now due to erratic weather events and to plan for the future climate,” says Debbie Inglis, CCOVI director. “It could help identify new regions for grape production, match varietals to location based on that future climate and expand new wine styles for the region such as appassimento or sparkling wines.” In recent years, Ontario has experienced extreme temperature highs during the growing season as well as extreme cold events during the winter, coupled with either lack of rain or excessive rain in different years. Warmer than normal winters, mixed with
cold events within seasons all threaten vine survival. Together, these extremes can compromise vine health and fruit quality if not managed properly. “The spring of 2012 has been very dynamic,” according to Jim Willwerth, CCOVI viticulturist. “Those spikes of warm temperatures in March really kick started the deacclimation process in the vine putting us approximately three to four weeks ahead of schedule. This rapid deacclimation means the buds are less hardy and the phloem, which lies just below the bark, is also cold susceptible. That means we have to monitor frost events very closely right now to avoid the impact of damaging temperatures.” Willwerth and fellow CCOVI professional affiliate Kevin Ker along with their teams post new data regularly to VineAlert so that growers can decide the most favourable time to turn on wind machines. In this year, for some,
that was as early as March – one month ahead of normal for frost protection. The VineAlert program, now subscribed by close to 200 growers, channels data from 30 Weather INnovation Inc. stations across Ontario. Bud hardiness data is sorted through drill-down menus based on variety and location. Daily minimum temperatures are also posted so growers can monitor potential damaging cold events. Bud survival data following cold events can also be found through VineAlert as well as resources to other cold hardiness information. But there’s more that can be done to salve weather’s sting. Inglis is determined to take advantage of cool, less optimal years when grapes don’t fully ripen. Wine styles that require high acidity, for example, can be further developed, such as sparkling wines. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3