Media releases

• Tickets selling fast for Ontario’s biggest VQA celebration

  Monday, March 25, 2024 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: March 25 2024 – R0038

  It’s a tasting experience no wine enthusiast should miss.

  Featuring more than 100 wines, each carefully curated as the favourites of Ontario’s top winemakers, the 2024 Cuvée Grand Tasting promises an experience like no other as it takes over the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Centre in St. Catharines on Saturday, March 30.

  Organized by Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), the event is the largest celebration of VQA wine of its kind, highlighting Ontario’s wine industry — an important economic driver for the province.

  The Cuvée Grand Tasting will showcase nearly 40 Ontario VQA wineries alongside 10 chefs preparing perfectly paired cuisine at live cooking stations.

  “We couldn’t be more excited for this event’s return,” said Cuvée Manager Barb Tatarnic. “The Grand Tasting is more than an opportunity to try an unmatched selection of Ontario’s top wines. It’s also a chance to hear directly from talented winemakers from across the province, all while supporting the next generation of industry professionals.”

  Proceeds from the event support the Cuvée Legacy Fund, which was established to fund industry-driven research initiatives and scholarships for students. More than $122,000 has been generated to invest in the future of the industry through students and research since CCOVI took the lead in organizing the event in 2015.

  In addition to the gourmet sensory experience, the Grand Tasting will recognize champions in the province’s grape and wine industry with the Cuvée Vineyard of Excellence and Winemaker of Excellence awards along with the Tony Aspler Award of Excellence.

  Following the Grand Tasting, the night erupts with the largest industry party of its kind: the exclusive Après Cuvée. Grand Tasting attendees and winemakers alike will hit the dance floor as Niagara’s own Jonesy brings live music to the stage. A selection of carefully curated regional Icewines, sparkling wines and craft beer will be available for guests to enjoy.

  For those looking to expand their Cuvée experience, the Cuvée en Route passport program kicks off the long weekend celebrations on Friday, March 29, running until Sunday, March 31 at more than 20 participating wineries across Niagara. A complete list of participating wineries at the Grand Tasting and en Route can be found at cuvee.ca

  While en Route passport tickets can be purchased separately, a Grand Tasting ticket will provide guests access to the en Route passport, more than 100 wines at the Grand Tasting event and the Après Cuvée party. Grand Tasting tickets are available online at cuvee.ca/tickets for $245 per person. Tickets for the en Route passport only are $50.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Maryanne St. Denis, Manager, Content and Communications, Brock University mstdenis@brocku.ca or 905-246-0256

  – 30 –

  Categories: Media releases

• Brock-farm partnership tests wool as sustainable soil enhancer

  Monday, March 25, 2024 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: March 25 2024 – R0037

  When Jennifer Osborn and her partner added two sheep to their farm almost 20 years ago, their aim was to produce wool that could be used to make clothing and other goods.

  As their sheep multiplied, so did the wool piling up after each shearing. Osborn searched for buyers but wondered if she needed to find a new market for her product.

  Through a partnership with Brock University researchers, she’s now exploring a solution that not only addresses her own dilemma but also offers farmers a sustainable option to support crop growth.

  After coming across reports that wool enhances soil, Osborn launched a business, EcoWool Canada, that markets the fibre as a potential natural fertilizer.

  “The one thing I’m consistently asked about is the research needed to explain what wool does to the soil,” says Osborn. “I can tell you anything I want, but there needs to be scientific data to show that our wool pellets enrich the soil.”

  To get data, Osborn turned to Brock, which is a member of the Ontario-based Greenhouse Technology Network (GTN). The University, through a series of research projects, has been working to enhance the sustainable agriculture sector and is launching a research farm to continue these efforts.

  Professor of Biology Liette Vasseur and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Vaughn Mangal are working with Osbourn to determine the effectiveness of EcoWool’s pellets as a soil amendment to improve soil health, fertility and crop performance.

  A soil amendment is any substance — excluding fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural lime and untreated manures — that aims to change chemical or physical characteristics of soil.

  Research shows wool contains carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, which are among the elements that boost soil quality. Wool provides further benefit by aerating the soil, retaining moisture, improving water infiltration and reducing erosion.

  To test EcoWool’s wool pellets, Vasseur and Mangal are growing spinach, sweet peppers, marigolds, basil and yellow beans in pots containing either pellets, conventional fertilizers or nothing added to the soil at all.

  Every activity is being recorded during the experiment, such as how much water is added, and plants are monitored and weighed at the end.

  After harvesting the crops, the researchers will use sophisticated instruments at the Brock-Niagara Validation, Prototyping and Manufacturing Institute (VPMI) to measure organic carbon and nitrogen quantity and quality of soil and water samples.

  “What we’re doing is saturating the soil in the pots so that water comes out of the soil,” says Mangal. “We then collect the leaching water for nutrient and carbon analysis to see how much carbon and nutrients are retained and lost in soils containing the EcoWool pellets.

  “This research wouldn’t be possible without the cutting-edge analytical equipment at the VPMI,” says Mangal. “Access to this equipment has allowed us to bridge soil chemistry, carbon cycling and plant physiology towards developing more sustainable greenhouse practices.”

  Mangal and Vasseur have completed one round of growing and harvesting the plants and will undergo another 55-day experiment of growing, monitoring, harvesting and soil testing before they produce their final report for EcoWool.

  In addition to supporting Osborn’s company, Vasseur says the research may encourage the greenhouse industry in Niagara and beyond to use wool pellets as an environmentally sustainable way to boost their crops’ soils.

  Vasseur notes that peat moss — harvested from natural peatlands that take thousands of years to regenerate — is currently being used in the industry to increase soil balance.

  “If more carbon is stored in the soil, EcoWool pellets may also partially replace peat moss,” she says, adding that peatlands are one of the most important habitats that absorb carbon dioxide and therefore need to be protected to mitigate climate change impacts.

  Osborn is also passionate about protecting the environment. It’s “common practice” for sheep farmers to burn their excess wool, she says, noting that wool is 50 per cent biogenic carbon, which is similar to wood.

  “Burning the wool alters the path of the carbon, releasing it from the natural cycle and having it contribute to the atmospheric carbon,” she says. “Pelletizing wool keeps that biogenic carbon in the natural system, which is considered carbon neutral.”

  The Greenhouse Technology Network (GTN) is a consortium of research-focused centres that increases innovation capacity to grow the Ontario greenhouse industry. Members collaborate with greenhouse and related technology businesses in southern Ontario and solve challenges through applied research projects.

  GTN is supported by a $5-million Government of Canada investment through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Maryanne St. Denis, Manager, Content and Communications, Brock University mstdenis@brocku.ca or 905-246-0256

  – 30 –

  Categories: Media releases