produced 65,000 tonnes of grapes, according to the Grape Growers of Ontario (GGO).<\/a><\/p>\nGGO Chair Matthias Oppenlaender share\u2019s Willwerth\u2019s optimistic outlook on this year\u2019s harvest while also acknowledging the likelihood of a lower yield.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe heat and drought in the summer were a challenge,\u201d he says. \u201cBut even with a lower crop, the quality is excellent. We hope the cool nights and sunny days continue to carry us through to the end of harvest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Temperatures reached extreme highs over the summer, with several extended heat waves consistently measuring over 35 C.<\/p>\n
Worries of a short crop were compounded by limited summer rainfall, with many areas of Niagara getting a third of their normal precipitation, according to Willwerth.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost rain, if it did arrive, came in brief thunderstorms that did not allow the soils to absorb much water,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
While wet weather in the spring helped grapevines avoid summer water stress, Willwerth says conditions in June and July impacted \u201cfruit set\u201d and helped create the lower yield estimate.<\/p>\n
“Fruit set is the time when flowers develop into berries, and the excessive heat appeared to impact that process leading to fewer berries and smaller clusters,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead to October, Willwerth is hopeful for continued moderate temperatures and precipitation.<\/p>\n
Too much heat now, he says, will have a poor impact on acidity and flavours in the grapes, adding that drier conditions can help reduce diseases that can be caused by moisture and humidity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to retain acidity to give the grapes that cool climate freshness that we are known for,\u201d he says. \u201cIf temperatures get too high now, acids will start to break down faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says growers and winemakers are looking for a balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully we will have a gradual ripening period where we have good flavour, good sugar levels and optimal acidity,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
CCOVI Senior Scientist in Oenology Jennifer Kelly runs the institute\u2019s Pre-Harvest Monitoring program that serves as a free resource for industry to monitor ripeness of five varieties across the region from multiple vineyard sites, soil types and crop levels. From her perspective, the outlook is positive for local grape growers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe weather we are having now is really helping with a favourably slow progression of ripening,\u201d she says, adding that the ripening rate could mean harvest 2025 will be extended by a couple weeks into early November.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are finding that sugar accumulation and acid degradation is happening a bit slower than it did last year,\u201d she says. \u201cMore time on the vine is always a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oppenlaender agrees and says he expects this year\u2019s conditions will result in a vintage that local growers and connoisseurs will happily remember.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will make for outstanding 100 per cent Ontario grown VQA wine,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u201cI am\u00a0looking forward to tasting them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With harvest underway in Niagara, experts from Brock University\u2019s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) say the region is headed for a good crop despite the summer\u2019s extreme heat and lack of rain. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":104946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9794,41,1],"tags":[61,498,1021,7015,1277,7290,856,550],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104942"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104942"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105010,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104942\/revisions\/105010"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}