With harvest season around the corner, a popular online pre-harvest monitoring service for Niagara grape growers is once again telling the story of this year’s crop.

Building on the success of last year’s program, the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) and the Grape Growers of Ontario are tracking the progress of this season’s wine grape ripening. The results will be posted weekly on CCOVI’s website.

CCOVI viticulturist Jim Willwerth will co-ordinate ongoing grape sampling and analysis at four Niagara locations over the coming weeks. He will track key indicators of fruit ripeness to help assess the variation in ripening across the region.

Willwerth will sample four of the region’s most common vinifera wine grape varieties (Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) at four separate vineyards — two on each side of the Welland Canal.

Linda Tremblay, lead technologist in the analytical lab at CCOVI, will test samples for sugar, pH, titrable acidity and volatile acidity. CCOVI technician Lynda van Zuiden will help handle the additional processing volume for this year’s program.

Results will also be reported at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs site.

Program data will also feed into a database CCOVI is developing for year-to-year comparisons in support of research it is conducting on the impact of climate change on Ontario’s grape and wine industry.

“This service allows for important pre-harvest data to be shared among grape growers and winemakers in Niagara,” said Debbie Inglis, CCOVI director. “This is a shining example of how our institute is working together with growers and wineries to meet their needs.”

Willwerth was hired last summer to help CCOVI support grape growers and winemakers with applied research and outreach focused on priorities identified by the industry. The CCOVI Analytical Services lab opened in March 2010.