My, what a difference a year makes for grape growers in Canada.
In Ontario at this time last year harvest was in full swing while in the Okanagan Valley they were holding out hope that a late blast of heat would help ripen the crop after a cooler vintage in 2011. The heat never really did come resulting in the second cool vintage in a row.
The tables have turned this year with Okanagan growers beginning to pick their first whites already and Ontario growers looking at least at another week before attempting to harvest grapes for their sparkling wines.
It has been an ideal growing year in the Okanagan with heat, sunshine and not a lot of rain. In Ontario, the vintage got off to a very cool start and the rest of the summer was a mish-mash of cool, wet weather interspersed with high heat spikes and lots and lots of humidity.
Even now, wineries are out in the vineyards spraying what they can to ward off any potential diseases brought on by all that dampness.
Deborah Pratt, public relations director for Inniskillin, Jackson-Triggs, and Le Clos Jordanne, passed along a vintage report for both Niagara and the Okanagan, where the umbrella company, Constellation Canada, has extensive vineyard holdings.
The update is provided by Keith Bown, Vice President Winemaking and Viticulture, Constellation Canada, Gerald Klose, Director of Viticulture East and Troy Osborne, Director of Viticulture West.
Keith Bown comments: “Hopefully, as the summer progresses with warm days and cool nights over the past few weeks, the potential for the 2013 harvest both in Niagara and Okanagan looks very good.
The early start to harvest in the Okanagan with the first picking of Sauvignon Blanc provides a great potential for the 2013 B.C. vintage. The early start will ensure a longer picking season and fruit ripening this vintage.
It is expected other aromatic white varieties Gewurztraminer, Pinot Grigio etc. will follow the Sauvignon Blanc in the coming weeks.
The early start in B.C. is often a good indicator to an early vintage in Niagara which normally follows a week to 10 days later, it is anticipated we will see the first fruit picked next week following Labour Day on September 2, starting with sparkling base wines and the same aromatic whites.
Mother Nature waits for no one and we are at her mercy until the end of harvest, so fingers crossed.”
Gerald Klose comments on Niagara:
“We are at late August and the warm days and cool nights we are currently experiencing in Niagara are perfect for ripening fruit. The long range weather forecast shows this pattern to continue for the balance of August.”
WINTER: Generally a mild winter was experienced but Icewine was successfully harvested near the end of January.
There was a significant cold event in early February that saw the temperature drop in some small areas to minus 24 C. This was an unusual occurrence because other vineyards in the area had only minus 14 C temperature at the same time. A mixture like this is rare and very uncommon. There was minimal bud damage over the course of the winter.
APRIL, MAY: The growing season started off well. Early bud break occurred and there was no frost damage in the spring. After bud break the vines grew quickly fuelled by mild temperatures and ample amounts of precipitation.
JUNE: Flowering occurred in June and the weather conditions were perfect for a quick bloom and good fruit set. This also indicates to us that harvest is 100 days out from the flowering.
The precipitation continued regularly during June, July and August. No irrigation was required in the vineyards as Mother Nature has provided significant amounts of rainfall. Vines are lush and growing well. Canopies are healthy and vibrant green.
Disease pressure is high this summer, with Powdery Mildew and Downy Mildew needed to be closely monitored and controlled.
Veraison (grapes turning colour) occurred late in July and continues till now which is normal for this area.
We anticipate harvest of early red hybrids week of Sept. 9 with sparkling and early vinifera varieties the week of Sept. 12.
Troy Osbourne comments on the Okanagan: “The growing season to date, to sum it up in two small words, hot and dry.”
Jackson-Triggs Okanagan started the harvest on August 27 with Sauvignon Blanc!
Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate Winery commences a record breaking start to harvest with the earliest pick for an Okanagan winery of vinifera wine grapes beginning in Osoyoos at Bear Cub Vineyard. Above 30 year average Growing Degree Days (GDD) and lower than normal precipitation this summer in the south Okanagan, contributed to the record setting start.
Growing Degree Days is the measurement viticulturists use worldwide to calculate whether the growing season has sufficient days where the sustained temperature is at least 10 degrees C, the minimum temperature conducive for ripening grapes. The calculation of daily GDD is a tool used to predict important phenological stages for grapes such as bloom, veraison and crop maturity.
Derek Kontkanen, winemaker at Jackson-Triggs, commented: “This is my tenth vintage here and it’s great to see a return to more normal Okanagan-like weather, similar to 2008 and 2009, with a warm and consistent growing season. When looking at the numbers, so far this season is shaping up to be a very good vintage. The flavour profile of our first varietal to come in, the Sauvignon Blanc, is just what we’re aiming to achieve — grassy, grapefruit and tangerine tropical notes, along with a good balance of sugar and acidity. Now we just need the weather to hold out to the end of October. ”
Troy Osborne noted: “The growing season to date, to sum it up in a few words — hot, dry, phenomenal. In my 21 years here in the Okanagan in viticulture this is the earliest we’ve ever picked vinifera table grapes.”
WINTER: A slow descent into low temperatures this past winter allowed for adequate vine hardiness, resulting in minimal winter damage to vines or fruiting buds, while still allowing a successful Icewine harvest to occur.
APRIL: Early spring gave moderate temps with average bud break timing in the final days of April. (221 Growing Degree Days vs 193 GDD, 30 year average)
MAY: The first week of May brought cold overnight temperatures requiring increased frost protection with some minimal damage realized. The balance of May was quite warm encouraging rapid, even bud break across most sites and varieties. May was also drier than the 30 year average (26mm vs. 36mm)
JUNE: June was wetter than most with 40mm of rain vs. a 36mm for the 30 year average. This, combined with average temperatures, made for a very busy month with rapid growth occurring across all sites and a slightly advanced timing for the flowering period, first signs of bloom on the 10th of June .(June GDD 245, 30 year average GDD = 249)
JULY: July was a very hot month with high temperatures exceeding 39 degrees. Temperatures remained warm overnight with average daily mean temperatures of 24. Accumulation of GDD this month was 415. This is 61 GDD higher than that of an average year at 354, advancing average veraison dates by 7 to 10 days. The first signs of berry softening were visible in Southern Sauvignon Blanc by the third week of July.
July was also a very dry month, we received a mere 4.8mm of rain, the 30 year average being 26.2mm
Total accumulation of GDD to the end of July = 881 while the 30 year average = 797.
May through July rain accumulation was 69mm vs. the 30 year average of 98mm.
AUGUST: We are continuing to experience warm dry conditions mid way through August and expect this to bring an early start to our harvest period.
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