Grape growing
has long been an important part of the Essex County agriculture.
The first major winery in Canada was built on Pelee Island
in 1866, and by 1890, 23 out of 35 wineries in Ontario were located
in the southern section of Essex County. By the year 1904 there
were 1784 acres of grapes being grown, the largest expansion of grapes
to date. But changes in markets and the introduction of burley
tobacco led to a steep decline to only 50 acres by 1920.
By 1980 vineyards were planted again and have increased to around
1,000 acres today. There are also 4 Wineries established and a
fifth one almost ready to go. Over the past two decades the entire
wine and grape industry has changed and the focus has shifted
to high quality. More vinifera-grapes and vinifera-like
hybrids are grown, Ice Wine from Ontario is known all
over the world and the Vintner's Quality Alliance has set rules
for quality wines from listed varieties and ensures that those
wines are 100% made from Ontario grapes. By May of 1999 the surtax
for direct sales from Wineries to Restaurants was abolished and
it is expected that the number of wineries will more than double.
As a grape growing area, Essex County is now known as Lake Erie
North Shore and Pelee Island.
In response to increased interest in grape growing, a Seminar
was held on Feb.2 at the Pelee Island Winery. The goal of the
seminar was to provide information about the basics of Viticulture,
Economics and Financing, and potential markets and demands.
The organization
of the seminar was a joint effort between The Viticultural
Roundtable of Southwestern Ontario, Euro Nursery and the Pelee
Island Winery.
Several speakers were invited to address the topics and answer questions.
Dr. Helen Fisher** from the University of
Guelph started with viticultural considerations. In her presentation
she talked about site and soil-evaluation, matching rootstocks
with the vigor-potential of a site, the importance of the micro-climate
and the how this effects the choice of varieties to be grown.
Temperature monitoring and soil samples are very important.
Leslie Huffman from OMAFRA in Harrow spoke next about a potential
problem with residual herbicides . Under certain pH conditions
of the soil these herbicides can take a long time to break down
and can cause problems with horticultural crops. As a rule of
thumb it is now suggested that a detailed 5 year history of crops
and the herbicides used, be established for any future grape land.
More information.
Craig Richards from the Farm Credit Corporation explained financing models that are tailored to the grape grower's needs.
Since Viticulture has been identified as an agricultural
growth sector, it is reassuring to know that the FCC is ready
to help.
Ken Slingerland, OMAFRA Vineland, spoke about the economics
of grape growing, from establishment costs to costs of production
and break-even points relative to cropping levels and varieties.
Both speakers (Richards & Slingerland) agreed that their topic
is generally on the very dry side, however it is very important.
The wine-masters of the two biggest wineries, Walter Schmoranz of Pelee Island Winery, and Carlo Negri of Colio Estate Wines, each gave their thoughts on demand for grapes for wine-making and the establishing of new wineries in the area. Both wineries are looking for more grapes from the county and more wineries should make Lake Erie Northshore and Pelee Island even more interesting for tourists and visitors.
At the end of the seminar the Viticultural Roundtable of Southwestern Ontario was explained. Most of the local growers have joined this voluntary organization and the focus is on hands-on, in-the-field work. The group has successfully established a temperature monitoring network of data loggers throughout the vineyards. Every year before the pruning starts, this data is evaluated.
The group is well
established (since 1994) and in times of continuous government
cutbacks, the roundtable can act as a source of information, exchange
and expertise.
As for the ordering of grapevines: Euro Nursery's website has a listing
of graft combinations for the upcoming planting season and also
offer a full line of comprehensive services to the viticultural
industry.
The sign-in list showed an attendance of 36 people and hopefully a good time was had by all.
Hans Peter Pfeifer
Euro Nursery, Harrow & the Roundtable
Tel/Fax.: (519)738-9337; e-mail: euro2@windsor.igs.net
Some references
to reading material (incomplete list ):
from
OMAFRA,
(to be ordered from the Vineland office)
from the Ontario Grape Growers Marketing Board, Vineland Station: 1(905) 688-0990
