Media releases

• Brock’s Cuvée launches new online experience to celebrate the VQA wine industry

  Thursday, May 07, 2020 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 7 May 2020 – R0081

  Put on your party attire, fire up the laptop and get ready to celebrate the Ontario VQA wine industry as Brock University moves its annual Cuvée event online.

  The Cuvée 2020 Online Experience launches on Friday, May 22 at cuvee.ca. The virtual experience will feature the 48 wineries, 12 restaurants and seven breweries/cideries that were originally slated to take part in the physical Grand Tasting experience last month. The free online experience does not require tickets and will be accessible until the next Cuvée in 2021.

  In videos created exclusively for the experience, participating winemakers virtually pour and reveal what they chose as their favourite wines for Cuvée, give pairing tips and share unique product signature styles that make their choices truly special.

  A link to each participating winery, brewery/cidery and culinary partners’ online store will also be featured, so guests can bring the complete Cuvée Grand Tasting experience into their living rooms by placing online orders at any time.

  Niagara band Jonesy also contributed a special performance video for the online experience so guests can dance the night away in an at-home version of Après Cuvée.

  Organized by Brock’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), Cuvée was originally scheduled to take place on April 25 but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Barb Tatarnic, Manager of Cuvée, says organizers worked hard to develop a fun, virtual experience so wine-lovers could still celebrate an experience they look forward to all year.

  “What makes Cuvée special is its ability to bring the industry together in celebration of excellence in the Ontario VQA wine industry and, in 2020, our guests can still do that virtually, whenever they want,” she says. “Get dressed up in your best gala attire — or stay in your sweats, go to cuvee.ca, and get ready to meet our industry partners, listen to their stories, and learn more about the labour of love that drives their craft.”

  Tatarnic also says the experience helps support the wineries, breweries and restaurants that are being directly impacted by the pandemic, financially and otherwise.

  “Although no one could have imagined the challenges brought about by COVID-19, it is important to now stand together, while apart, and support local industry,” she says.

  Thomas Bachelder, Winemaker and Co-owner at Bachelder Niagara and Winemaker, at Le Clos Jordanne, is thrilled the opportunity to gather virtually with colleagues and friends can still take place.

  “Cuvée is a moment in time — a brief shining moment, once a year — where all come together as one collegial community,” he says. “We have learned how to reach out and hug our fellow human beings virtually, and to all of you who have dreamt your ‘Cuvées’ into being but are not able to physically be together to pour them, to all of us, we say ‘Santé.’”

  Cuvée also serves to honour and acknowledge successes and breakthroughs in the industry and advance vital grape and wine research — something CCOVI Director Debbie Inglis says is important now more than ever.

  “Bringing Cuvée online showcases Brock’s ability to still support and celebrate our VQA wine industry while it navigates unprecedented challenges,” she says. “Being able to raise a glass together, even if only virtually, will unite us and help us emerge stronger.”

  The Cuvée Online Experience also coincides with the #30DaysofVQA, an initiative created by Wine Country Ontario to promote the province’s VQA wine industry.

  Proceeds from Cuvée support the Cuvée Legacy Fund, established to fund industry-driven research initiatives and scholarships for students. This year’s Cuvée Hosting Award for Academic Excellence recipient is Brock Oenology and Viticulture student Jessica Oppenlaender. All of the 2020 industry-related Cuvée awards will be presented at Cuvée 2021.

  Watch cuvee.ca and follow @cuveegrandtasting and @winecountryont on social media for further information on the Cuvée 2020 Online Experience.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Sarah Ackles, Marketing and Communications Officer, Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, Brock University [email protected], 647-746-4453

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected], 905-347-1970 

  – 30 –

  Categories: Media releases

• CCOVI scientist helps region’s grape growers navigate uncertainty during COVID-19

  Thursday, May 07, 2020 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 6 May 2020 – R0080

  Although they are well-versed in overcoming fluctuations and uncertainty from one growing season to the next, Niagara’s grape growers are facing a unique set of challenges this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  To address some of those challenges, Jim Willwerth, Senior Scientist at Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), recently partnered with the Grape Growers of Ontario (GGO) to host a webinar on the Economics of Crop Management During COVID-19.

  “The entire world is dealing with the uncertainty of this global pandemic,” says Willwerth. “I am glad to be able to provide support to the grape growers by discussing crop management and ways to improve efficiency in the vineyard during this challenging time.”

  Since grape harvest season is still a few months away, Ontario grape growers aren’t in the same situation as farmers who have to determine what to do with their early season crops due to lack of available workforce or changing demand.

  The immediate challenge for grape growers lies in safely and cost-effectively completing critical spring vineyard work while also adapting to new physical distancing protocols. The mandatory 14-day isolation period in place for seasonal workers coming to Ontario farms from outside of Canada also creates challenges. That two-week delay, combined with having to logistically spread out workers to ensure a safe operation, means there may be less hands on-deck to get the work done.

  With many operations already working on tight margins, growers have to determine what key vineyard practices need to be maintained — and which can be scaled back, delayed, or forgone altogether to cut costs. And, as grape vines are perennial plants, Willwerth says those decisions are crucial not only to this year’s harvest, but to future harvests, as well.

  “There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and it’s important to ask questions about your vineyard and the individual block within them,” he says.

  Willwerth suggests that growers put the focus on their best vineyard blocks and aim to reduce labour-intensive activities (such as manual leaf removal) and use more mechanization where possible.

  Integrated pest management is still critical, he stresses, as is completing major canopy and crop management tasks. Pruning, tying, trunk replacement and other winter injury mitigation is also important, as is training young vines to prepare for the growing seasons to come.

  Growers are also worried about what it will mean for their operations if COVID-19 restrictions are still in place when harvest season rolls around this fall, he says.

  “But as growers, you always deal with uncertainty and risk management, this is just another level,” Willwerth says. “So be positive and work together, and you can navigate this challenge, too.”

  Providing timely research and support to the industry is a critical part of CCOVI’s mandate. In addition to this recent webinar, the institute also produced a viticulture webinar series with the GGO. The videos can be viewed on CCOVI’s website, with more videos planned for later this year.

  “The Grape Growers of Ontario remain committed to keeping our members engaged and informed and we thank CCOVI and Dr. Jim Willwerth for helping us deliver an educational webinar and collaborative Q&A session on the economics of crop management during COVID-19,” says Matthias Oppenlaender, Chair of the GGO. “We look forward to bringing more engaging content to our members in the coming weeks and months.”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Sarah Ackles, Marketing and Communications Officer, Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, Brock University [email protected], 647-746-4453

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected], 905-347-1970

  – 30 –

  Categories: Media releases