10 years later, Brock’s grape & wine lectures are food for thought around the world

It began in 2007 as a way to get timely research out of the lab and into the hands of Ontario grape growers and winemakers.

Today the annual lecture series by Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) has a global reach. Since tracking began in  2012, the presentations by leading scientists and industry experts have had more than 7,000 views from 43 countries worldwide.

It all starts up again this week as the 2017 series of weekly lectures takes place on Wednesday.

“The series started as a way to get our research out to the growers and winemakers in our own backyard,” said CCOVI Director Debbie Inglis. “Taking the series online has been a real game-changer allowing us to share our industry-driven research across Canada and around the world.”

Topics for this year’s series span the grape and wine value chain examining areas from sparkling wine production, to the effect wine ratings have on prices, and how climate change is impacting Ontario’s wine industry. The series will also bring in two Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers from British Columbia to share their latest findings.

The free lectures start a 2 p.m., except for Feb. 24, and will take place in room H313 of the Mackenzie Chown complex at Brock University.

To watch the live webcasts or archived videos, go to brocku.ca/ccovi

Lineup and dates for the 2017 CCOVI Lecture Series:

  • Feb. 15: Belinda Kemp, CCOVI Oenologist, Brock University, “A comparison of clones from Champagne and Burgundy grown in Ontario for sparkling wine production”
  • Feb. 24, 10 a.m.: Kevin Usher, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, “The effects of pre-bloom, fruit set and veraison leaf removal on yield, composition and wine quality in the Okanagan Valley”
  • March 1 – POSTPONED
  • March 8: Don Cyr and Lester Kwong Professor of Finance, Operations and Information Systems and Associate Professor of Economics, Brock University, “The application of copula function modelling to Bordeaux en primeur wine ratings”
  • March 15: Tony Shaw, Professor of Geography, Brock University, “Climate change and the evolution of Canada’s wine appellations and emerging areas: Challenges and benefits”
  • March 22: Jim Willwerth, CCOVI Viticulturist, Brock University, “The potential impact of climate change on grapevine dormancy and cold hardiness”
  • April 5: Gary Pickering, Professor of Biological Sciences, Brock University, “Proselytizing pyrazines: How to avoid and remediate greeness in wine”
  • April 26: Tom Lowery, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, “Epidemiology and management of grapevine virus diseases”

Read more stories in: Featured, Mathematics and Science, News, Research
Tagged with: