Our facility

Inniskillin Hall — the home of CCOVI — opened in 1999 thanks to support from public and private investments. Its research facilities include a state-of-the-art biotechnology lab, sensory evaluation facilities, viticulture lab and a research and teaching winery.

Inniskillin Hall is home to the Canadian Wine Library — a cellared collection of Ontario’s finest VQA wines. The wine cellar also includes a Vinotheque of wines made by students during their undergraduate and graduate programs. The cellar can hold up to 43,000 bottles.

As part of our outreach mandate, CCOVI facilities are also available to the community.
We offer professional facilities and service at a modest cost.

For more information contact Barb Tatarnic at ccovi@brocku.ca or 905 688 5550 ext. 4652.

Consumer Research Laboratory

Located off-campus, in Brock Research and Innovation Centre on Lockhart Drive in St. Catharines, the Consumer Research Laboratory (Consumer Perception and Cognition Laboratory) is a state-of-the-art research facility utilized by CCOVI. It aims to provide the knowledge and tools for the wine industry to increase market share for Ontario wines. Some of the work conducted includes:

  • Identifying factors affecting consumer perception of wine quality
  • Characterizing consumers’ views on wine quality and Canadian wines
  • Developing new wine styles and predicting consumer acceptability of such wines.

This facility totals 1,000 sq. ft. of research space. The facility offers an environment and atmosphere that reflects real life experience for participants, from a wine tasting bar to a winery retail store. It is equipped with an audio-video system used to record experiments in a controlled environment. It further uses a computerized questionnaire system that enables participants to answer questions while performing tasks such as wine tasting.