Essex County vineyards enjoying extended warm weather during grape harvest season
Wine makers in southern Ontario are in the homestretch of this season’s grape harvest with growers in Essex County enjoying a mild fall.
The majority of this year’s harvest began in late August and is expected to continue into November.
“It was looking a little iffy at the end of August with all the rain and cloud cover we had, but September saved the day,” said Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery wine maker, Tanya Mitchell.
According to Mitchell, a wide variety of grapes at the family winery were being picked by machine and hand, noting higher quality wines require handpicked varieties.
“We have quite a few,” Mitchell explained. “Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio. I'm playing around with a bit of Auxerrois on the on the white side. We have Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Baco Noir, of course we’ve always had our Merlo, but we just added on Marquette and petite Pearl, which are two new varieties we've been growing in our vineyard that are very promising,” Mitchell continued.
“They're sustainable and they last through the winter as well and they require less sprays and they're just altogether a better growing grape.”
Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery in Amherstburg, Ont. on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)
Mitchell said the season started with record dry conditions followed by a wet summer, but believed a mild and dry September helped bring things together. Mitchell noted the region benefits from an extended growing season allowing the grapes to hang a little longer on the vine and let flavours continue to concentrate.
“As you progress and watching the grapes, you're checking for its sugar level, its pH and acidity,” Mitcehll said.
Mitchell added, “We are in a wonderful location in the world to grow grapes and we have the longest and warmest growing season in all of Ontario and I think Canada as well.”
Mean time, Pelee Island Winery’s Tim Charisse said a good vintage is expected from Canada’s most southern vineyard.
“An extended growing season is definitely better for sure,” Charisse said.
Pelee Island Winery & Vineyards in Kingsville, Ont. on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)
Charisse told CTV News the island winery boasts between 700-800 acres of grape vines, with each acre yielding upwards of five tons.
“We had a really dry start to the growing season,” he explained. “Basically the opposite of what we kind of want for our growing season. We want a little bit more wet in the starting time and definitely dry in the end. So the grapes are bringing up the sugar level and getting ripe.”
Charisse continued, “The longer the lake stays open the better is for us. That means the grapes are more secured in the winter from frost.”
Pelee Island Winery is partnering with Tourism Windsor-Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI), EPIC Wineries and Scotiabank to host the first ever EPIC Wineries Harvest Festival, on November 4 at their Kingsville location.
“You can get our wine in Quebec. You can get our wine in Saskatchewan. You even can get our wine in China,” Charisse said. “So yes, we are basically all over the world and trying to expand more and more and make sure people enjoy wine everywhere we can sell.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
Wisconsin school district says active shooter 'neutralized' outside middle school
A Wisconsin school district said an active shooter was 'neutralized' outside a middle school in Mount Horeb on Wednesday, and no one inside the building was injured.
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he does not regret calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko,' and now his MPs are renewing calls for the House of Commons Speaker to resign, this time over ordering the Official Opposition leader to leave the chamber.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh confirms his party will support the Liberals' federal budget
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will support the federal budget, ending any speculation that the party could pull out of its deal with the minority Liberal government.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.
Lawyers for man accused of killing 4 women to argue he's not criminally responsible
Lawyers for a Winnipeg man accused of killing four women say they plan to argue that he is not criminally responsible because he is mentally ill.
Harvey Weinstein appears in court after his New York rape conviction was overturned
Harvey Weinstein was back in a New York courtroom Wednesday for his first appearance since an appeals court last week overturned his 2020 rape conviction and ordered a new trial.