{"id":46799,"date":"2017-09-25T15:17:27","date_gmt":"2017-09-25T19:17:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=46799"},"modified":"2019-02-28T13:45:02","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T18:45:02","slug":"national-interest-bubbles-for-science-of-sparkling-wine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2017\/09\/national-interest-bubbles-for-science-of-sparkling-wine\/","title":{"rendered":"National interest bubbles for science of sparkling wine"},"content":{"rendered":"

With 90 local wineries now making sparkling wine, it\u2019s not just fizz-loving consumers that are taking notice of the surging sales of the product. The increasingly popular wine \u2014 and related research underway at\u00a0Brock\u2019s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) \u2014<\/span>\u00a0has also attracted the attention of the <\/span>oldest scientific society in Canada.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Belinda Kemp, CCOVI senior oenologist, gave a presentation for the prestigious <\/span>Royal Canadian Institute for Science (RCIS) in Toronto Sept. 14 on the science of sparkling wine.\u00a0The RCIS works to enhance public awareness and understanding of science, while creating an environment in which science can flourish and contribute to all aspects of Canadian life and society.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kirsten Vanstone, organizer for the RCIS fall lecture series, said Kemp\u2019s\u00a0presentation, held at the University of Toronto, was a \u201cgreat kick-off” to the society’s 2017-18 talks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBelinda gave a scientific glimpse into the mysterious world of winemaking,\u201d she said. \u201cShe is an enthusiastic speaker who was not only interesting, she also gave some great tips on how to best enjoy sparkling wine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

More than 60 people attended, ranging from top-tier biochemists and geologists to wine bloggers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was rewarding to see how sparkling wine brought all those diverse people together and how they applied the science behind sparkling wine production to their own disciplines,\u201d Kemp said.<\/span><\/p>\n

She also shared the research CCOVI is doing to help local grape growers and winemakers produce quality sparkling wine, including projects that monitor the impact that different soil types and grapevine leaf removal strategies have on final wine quality, how to best process sparkling grape varieties for the highest quality wines and even how yeast nutrients during secondary fermentation may impact the bubbles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re getting some really fascinating results for our leaf-removal trial and our clonal study so this was a great way to share the work that CCOVI is doing with a completely different audience,\u201d Kemp said.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Ontario, overall sales of Ontario VQA sparkling wines are up 13 per cent over last year, and Vintage VQA sparkling wine sales have increased by 25 per cent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Astrid Brummer, <\/span>Category Manager of Ontario Wines at the LCBO, said one of the reasons local sparkling wine is becoming more popular is simply because more winemakers in the region are trying their hand at producing it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are seeing the success of the pioneers in Ontario sparkling wine and that you can make a great sparkling wine in this growing area,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Popping open a bottle of the good bubbly no longer has to be reserved for the celebration of life\u2019s biggest moments, whether toasting to a milestone birthday or anniversary, or christening a new boat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSales of sparkling are so focused on the holiday season, but we\u2019re also trying to be aware of other times when it might be a great choice,\u201d Brummer explained. \u201c\u2018Celebrate everyday\u2019 has been one of the marketing angles. So, you got the laundry done or you got through Tuesday \u2014 that\u2019s worth a glass of sparkling.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With Ontario being so new to the sparkling scene in comparison to established players like Prosecco and Champagne, there is a lot of diversity in the wines coming out of the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kemp said that is something to capitalize on, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an incredible range of potential from our grape range like aromatic white varieties and traditional grapes like chardonnay and pinot noir,\u201d she\u00a0said. \u201cWe\u2019re not trying to compete with the other markets, that\u2019s not what it\u2019s about. We\u2019re taking advantage of the fact that Ontario sparkling wines do cater to all palates and pocketbooks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The complex process involved in creating that diverse selection of local options is what makes sparkling wine so appealing, she added.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot all sparkling wines are the same and I am always fascinated by how grapes grown on different sites and different winemaking practices can influence the final flavour,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery bottle is a labour of love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With 90 local wineries now making sparkling wine, it\u2019s not just fizz-loving consumers that are taking notice of the surging sales of the product. The increasingly popular wine \u2014 and related research underway at Brock\u2019s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) \u2014 has also attracted the attention of the oldest scientific society in Canada.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":46800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,41,1,4],"tags":[3630,61,855,5813,5812],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46799"}],"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\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46799"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56430,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46799\/revisions\/56430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}