
From exploring new Ontario wine varieties to tackling vineyard viruses, industry experts will discuss the latest grape and wine research when the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) Lecture Series returns for 2025.
Beginning Monday, Jan. 27, the nine-week series will allow members of the Brock and wider communities to benefit from free public talks, offered in person and online, featuring the work of CCOVI-affiliated researchers. CCOVI Principal Scientist, Grapevine Virology Sudarsana Poojari will kick off the series with the lecture Diagnostic Tools and Techniques for Plant Virus Identification.
“This series is important because it gives CCOVI grape and wine researchers the opportunity to speak about the impacts of their research and how that research helps grow and improve productivity in the industry,” says CCOVI Director Debbie Inglis.
While CCOVI develops its industry research priorities in response to the needs of growers, wine makers, winery owners and associated stakeholders, Inglis says getting information into the hands of those who need it most is just as important as doing the research.
“And one way for us to do that — to make sure that the results are getting translated and mobilized — is through the CCOVI lecture series,” she says.
Now in its 18th year, the series also serves as a valuable resource library with each year’s content archived on the CCOVI website for anyone to access anytime.
“Not only are there new data, new implications and new results coming out each year, but we also find that people sometimes need a refresher or to take in a topic addressed a few years ago,” says Inglis.
This year’s topics include disease and insect issues in the vineyard, new grape varieties for Ontario wine, local yeast strains for wine improvement and the important role storytelling plays in wine marketing.
The free lectures take place weekly on Mondays at 2 p.m. until March 31 — with a break for Family Day on Feb. 17 — in room H313 of the Mackenzie Chown Complex at Brock University. Paid parking is available in the nearby Lot E. Lectures will also be livestreamed.
2025 CCOVI Lecture Series
- Jan. 27: Sudarsana Poojari, CCOVI Principal Scientist — Diagnostic Tools and Techniques for Plant Virus Identification
- Feb. 3: Malkie Spodek – CCOVI Scientist, Entomology — The Multi-Coloured Asian Lady Beetles (MALB) in Niagara’s Vineyards: Challenges and Potential Solutions
- Feb. 10: Jennifer Kelly, CCOVI Scientist, Oenology — Sustainable Grape Varieties for Ontario Wine Production
- Feb. 24: Debbie Inglis, CCOVI Director — Locally Isolated Indigenous Yeast: Can They Improve Wine Quality?
- March 3: Tek Thongpapanl, Professor of Marketing and Product Innovation; Barry Wright, Dean of the Goodman School of Business and Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour; and Linda Bramble, CCOVI Professional Affiliate — Storytelling in Niagara’s Wine Country: A Missing Art
- March 10: José Ramón Úrbez Torres, Research Scientist, Plant Pathology at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada — Towards Sustainable Management Strategies to Mitigate the Impact of Economically Important Grapevines Diseases in Canada
- March 17: Justin Renkema, Research Scientist, Entomology at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada — Here’s Hoping: Exploring New Control Methods for Leafhoppers in Grapes
- March 24: Amy Lemay, Adjunct Professor in the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre — Preparing for Plant Health Emergencies: Highlights from the Canadian Plant Health Council Tabletop Emergency Response Exercise on Spotted Lantern Fly
- March 31: Joachim Scholz, Assistant Professor of AR/XR Marketing — Archetypes in Wine Storytelling