As grape growers and winemakers across Canada face changing weather patterns and severe weather events impacting their yields, the Triggs International Premium Vinifera Lecture Series has stepped up to help.

The biennial lecture series — held in Ontario and the Okanagan wine-growing region of British Columbia — recently dug into strategies to build resiliency in grape production to combat the changing climate and its impact on vineyards.

Organized by Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), the four-day national event saw Ontario and B.C. highlight the expertise of Markus Keller, the Chateau Ste. Michelle Distinguished Professor of Viticulture at Washington State University’s Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center. Each province hosted two days that included a technical workshop in three separate vineyards the first day, and a public lecture on the second day.

“I want to acknowledge Don and Elaine Triggs for their vision, leadership and generosity in establishing an endowment at Brock University 20 years ago that enables CCOVI to bring in a leading viticulture expert in premium grape production to benefit grape growers across the country,” said CCOVI Director Debbie Inglis. “Due to COVID restrictions, we had to temporarily hit pause, but we are thrilled the endowment has allowed us to return with our 12th instalment of the series, including the sixth time bringing it to B.C.”

Allan Jackson of Jackson-Triggs, former Chair of the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute’s (CCOVI) Advisory Council; Debbie Inglis, CCOVI Director; Markus Keller, Chateau Ste. Michelle Distinguished Professor of Viticulture at Washington State University’s Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center; and Barb Tatarnic, CCOVI Outreach Manager and Chair of the Triggs Lecture Series, stand together following Keller’s public lecture at Brock University on Aug. 2 as part of the 12th Triggs International Premium Vinifera Lecture Series.

The Ontario portion began with a vineyard visit and technical workshop with Bill and Brian Schenck, of Schenck Farms, which has a long collaborative history with Brock that includes various trials and research efforts in the family’s vineyards.

Bill discussed the benefits of this partnership with the more than 60 attendees before turning the floor over to Keller, who discussed the value of working with the grower community on clonal selections and clone/rootstock trials to broaden the scale of research, drawing parallels with climate challenges, cold hardiness, irrigation and more from his own research programs.

The day continued at Henry of Pelham, where Vice President, Vineyard Operations Matthew Speck and Keller explored technologies available to deal with temperature extremes, before concluding at Malivoire Winery, where Keller and Viticulturist Tristan Bondett examined sustainable vineyard production practices.

On the second day, Keller delivered a free public keynote lecture “Making vineyards more resilient to respond to climate change” to about 60 grape growers, winemakers, researchers, scientists and students at Brock.

Thanks to funding made possible by BASF Canada, the Triggs Lecture Series continued Aug. 6 in B.C., where it reflected on the 2022 and 2024 cold snaps that severely impacted the grape and wine industry in the Okanagan wine-growing region.

At Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars, site host and Winemaker Matt Mavety joined Keller and more than 60 attendees to lead a workshop on own-rooted versus grafted vines, before the group moved to See Ya Later Ranch vineyard where Keller and Troy Osborne, Arterra Canada’s Director of Western Viticulture, discussed hard decisions regarding retraining, retrunking and replanting grapevines after severe cold weather damage. The final site visit was at Hidden Valley Vineyard at Hillside Winery where Keller explored different strategies for recovery and vine response of different cultivars with Vineyard Manager Trevor Broemer.

To conclude the series on Aug. 7, Keller welcomed more than 150 people for the free public lecture “Vineyard recovery after a severe weather event,” which was part of the British Columbia Grapegrowers Association and British Columbia Wine Grape Council AGM Grower Day held at the Penticton Lakeside Conference Centre.

“Markus listened to the growers at each site in both provinces and worked with a hands-on approach, offering various strategies to build resiliency into the vineyards and lessen the impact of climate change,” said Barb Tatarnic, CCOVI Outreach Manager and Chair of the Triggs Lecture Series. “Beyond best practices, the lecture series allowed growers to connect with each other as they discussed their own experiences while learning strategies that will help them to respond to extreme weather events.”

Launched in 2004, the Triggs International Premium Vinifera Lecture Series at CCOVI is made possible through a generous endowment established by Donald and Elaine Triggs. The series brings a leading international viticultural speaker to provide their expertise through vineyard visits and a public lecture on key issues relating to premium vinifera grape production. The series expanded its offerings to both the Ontario and B.C. grape and wine regions in 2011 thanks to the support of BASF Canada.

A recording of Keller’s lecture at Brock University is available on the lecture series website along with the presentations from both Ontario and British Columbia. For more information on industry research, outreach and educational opportunities in grape and wine science, please visit brocku.ca/CCOVI