Articles from:November 2021

  • November & December Dates & Deadlines

    Wednesday, November 10, 2021 | By

    WSET LEVEL 1 AWARD IN WINE (ONLINE)
    This is a beginner level wine course for those starting a wine career or those wishing to explore wine for personal interest. There is no prerequisite to register and WSET Level 1 in Wine is not a prerequisite for registration in WSET Level 2 in Wine. Please email [email protected] to confirm your comfort level.
    November 29 to December 26, 2021
    Registration Deadline:November 19 (by 10 am)*
    For more information and to register click here

    December 13 to January 9, 2022
    Registration Deadline: December 3 (by 10 am)*
    For more information and to register click here

    December 27 to January 23, 2022
    Registration Deadline: December 17 (by 10 am)*
    For more information and to register click here

    WSET LEVEL 2 AWARD IN WINE (ONLINE)
    Explore major grape varieties and important wine regions in which they are grown, the styles of wines produced from these grapes and key classifications and labelling terminology.
    November 29 to January 2, 2022
    Registration Deadline: November 19 (by 10 am)*
    For more information and to register click here

    December 13 to January 16, 2022
    Registration Deadline: December 3 (by 10 am)
    For more information and to register click here

    December 27 to January 30, 2022
    Registration Deadline:December 17 (by 10 am)
    For more information and to register click here

    WSET LEVEL 1 AWARD IN SPIRITS (ONLINE)
    This is a beginner level course for those starting a career in the spirits industry or those wishing to explore spirits for personal interest. There is no prerequisite to register and WSET Level 1 in Spirits is not a prerequisite for registration in WSET Level 2 in Spirits. Please email [email protected] to confirm your comfort level.
    Monday January 10 to February 6, 2022
    Registration Deadline:December 17, 2021 (by 10 am)
    For more information and to register click here

    WSET LEVEL 2 AWARD IN SPIRITS (ONLINE)
    This is a specialized program for individuals wishing to develop their expertise in spirits and liqueurs. You’ll learn about the production methods and characteristics of the main spirit categories while also exploring key brands and the use of spirits in cocktails.
    November 29 to January 2, 2022
    Registration Deadline:November 19 (by 10 am)
    For more information and to register click here

    CIDER AND PERRY PRODUCTION- FOUNDATION (ONLINE)
    CINA instructors have collaborated to develop a first-of-its-kind online Foundation course to boost your cider production career or hobby. 
    Fermentation experts from Brock University, Cornell University, Washington State University, and Virginia Tech will introduce you to the fundamentals of cider making as well as the history and traditions behind the modern cider and perry industry. World-renowned cider makers will lead live discussion about the application of production knowledge to a career in the cider industry. Cider samples and fermentation kits will be sent to all participants for sensory analysis and product development throughout the course.
    August 31 – December 14 (online)
    For more information and to register click here

    REMOTE INVIGILATION EXAMS:

    WSET LEVEL 1 AWARD IN WINE (ONLINE):

    Monday December 13 from 5:30 -6:15 pm – 45 minutes
    Registration Deadline: November 19 (by 1 pm)
    Register here

    Monday December 20 from 5:30-6:15 pm – 45 minutes
    Registration Deadline: November 16 (by 1 pm)
    Register here

    WSET LEVEL 2 AWARD IN WINE (ONLINE):

    Monday December 13 from 5:30 – 6:15 pm – 45 minutes)
    Registration Deadline: November 19 (by 1 pm)
    Register here

    Monday December 20 from 5:30-6:15 pm – 45 minutes
    Registration Deadline: November 16 (by 1 pm)
    Register here

    WSET LEVEL 1 AWARD IN SPIRITS (ONLINE):

    Monday December 13 from 5:30-6:15 pm – 45 minutes
    Registration Deadline: November 19 (by 1 pm)
    Register here

    Monday December 20 from 5:30-6:15 pm – 45 minutes
    Registration Deadline: November 16 (by 1 pm)
    Register here

    WSET LEVEL 2 AWARD IN SPIRITS (ONLINE):

    Monday December 13 from 5:30- 6:15 pm – 45 minutes
    Registration Deadline: November 19 (by 1 pm)
    Register here

    Monday December 20 from 5:30-6:15 pm – 45 minutes
    Registration Deadline: November 16 (by 1 pm)
    Register here

    Categories: Dates and Deadlines

  • Brock’s CCOVI celebrates 25 years of research excellence

    Wednesday, November 10, 2021 | By

    Karl Kaiser and Donald Ziraldo at the opening of Brock’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, in the new Inniskillin Hall building, in 1999.

    Although harvest season is always a special time in Niagara, this vintage also marks a major milestone for Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI).

    The Institute turned 25 last month, commemorating a quarter-century since its inception on Oct. 26, 1996.

    “While things have changed a great deal over the past 25 years, our commitment to our industry and community partners has remained at the heart of what we do at CCOVI,” Director Debbie Inglis said. “It has been amazing to see everything we have accomplished together.”

    The time for popping sparkling wine and gathering in celebration will come in 2022, as soon as it is safe to do so in true CCOVI style. For now, the CCOVI team is reflecting on its two and a half decades of achievements.

    The idea for CCOVI began at the Queen’s Landing Forum in Toronto, where 37 individuals from Brock University and the grape and wine community determined that the industry needed its own cool climate grape and wine research institute.

    In this Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) file photo, Jim Willwerth is seen collecting samples of grapevines for CCOVI’s VineAlert program.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    A short time later, CCOVI was born, in partnership with the Wine Council of Ontario (now known as the Ontario Craft Wineries and Wine Growers Ontario) and the Grape Growers of Ontario (GGO).

    The Institute has since become internationally recognized for its leading-edge research and its continuing education, outreach and professional development opportunities. It is still supported by its inaugural partners today and has inked new partnerships with Ontario Grape and Wine Research Inc. (OGWRI) and the Canadian Grapevine Certification Network (CGCN), among others.

    A year after CCOVI was created, Brock’s Oenology and Viticulture program welcomed its first cohort of undergraduate grape and wine students. Hundreds of graduate and undergraduate students have been trained by the CCOVI team since.

    In 1999, Donald Ziraldo and John Howard led a $2.1-million fundraising campaign from members of the national grape and wine industry, allowing CCOVI to open the doors to its very own building: Inniskillin Hall.

    Del Rollo, Chair of The Board Of Directors, Wine Growers Ontario, said all the Institute has achieved over the past 25 years “has been, and will continue to be, fundamental to the success of Ontario’s grape and wine industry.”

    “Wine Growers Ontario thanks CCOVI for its dedication to our industry that supports more than 18,000 jobs in Ontario,” he added.

    Tim Kenyon, Brock’s Vice-President, Research, congratulated “the entire CCOVI team” for the tangible impact its research program has had over the last two and a half decades.

    “CCOVI has earned its excellent reputation by supporting scientific and scholarly inquiry in genuine collaboration with industry, community and government partners,” he added.

    Ziraldo, who is still a close partner of the institute today, points to the flagship VineAlert program as an example of the game-changing research coming out of CCOVI. The program alerts growers to plummeting temperatures so they can turn on their wind machines to help protect their vines from winter damage.

    “Before CCOVI created this, you had to essentially go out and hold a thermometer up in the air,” Ziraldo recalled. “I remember driving around at night to check the temperature of different vineyards, it was just crazy. Now you can set it up so that the wind machine comes on automatically to align with Brock’s data.”

    CCOVI Director Debbie Inglis, centre, is pictured speaking with Karl Kaiser and Donald Ziraldo at the 10th anniversary celebration of Brock’s Oenology and Viticulture program in 2010.

    OGWRI Chair Matthias Oppenlaender and GGO CEO Debbie Zimmerman also raised a glass to the impact CCOVI has had on “Ontario’s 500 grape growing farm families.”

    “CCOVI’s ongoing research and support of Ontario’s grape growers is crucial in improving grapevine health, including mitigating winter injury,” they said in a joint statement on behalf of the GGO, OGWRI and CGCN. “The successful development of VineAlert is a major accomplishment for CCOVI and an important tool for protecting our vineyards to ensure the local grape and wine industry remains strong and sustainable.”

    CCOVI’s robust research program tackles industry research priorities from the vine to the glass, as well as providing Preharvest Monitoring, Analytical Services and Grapevine Virus Testing. It also hosts thousands of community and industry members at its outreach events every year and provides professional certifications in wine, cider and spirits to more than 200 continuing education students annually.

    Ontario Craft Wineries President Richard Linley said the organization has been “proud to partner” with CCOVI, highlighting their collaboration on the first-of-its-kind Certification in Ontario Wine.

    “We look forward to further building on our partnership with CCOVI as our industry and this valuable institution continues to grow,” he added.

    As for what lies ahead, Inglis is excited by CCOVI’s work to better understand consumer choice using augmented and virtual reality technology in the Institute’s R3CL Lab, its initiatives to support the sustainability of the industry and mitigate the impacts of climate change, and the implementation of a national clean plant program for grapevines.

    All of which, she stresses, are possible thanks to CCOVI’s strong partnerships.

    Brock University Interim President Lynn Wells echoes the sentiment.

    “CCOVI’s numerous research, outreach and continuing education activities over the past 25 years have created meaningful and lasting partnerships within our local community and beyond,” she said. “We look forward to seeing what the next 25 years will bring.”

    Read the Brock News Story