Essex County winemakers granted 'perfect' season by Mother Nature

Pelee Island Winery wine being poured into a glass at the EPIC Harvest Festival in Kingsville, Ont. on Nov. 3, 2024. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)

A combination of warm weather and low amounts of rain has helped Essex County winemakers produce a strong yield.

For Tanya Mitchell, the winemaker at Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery, this marked her 20th vintage, and perhaps the best so far.

Mitchell said an end to their harvest season on Friday resulted in “perfect” grapes for winemaking.

“We had a really early, warm season start and we never really got any bad frost to slow things down,” Mitchell told CTV News.

“The buds opened up earlier than usual, so that gives us that much more time to grow the grapes."

During the harvest season, which typically runs from September to early November, producers benefitted from warm temperatures and small, scattered rain showers.

Mitchell said their yield proved to be “a little higher than most" years with about 150 tonnes of grapes.

The region’s largest wine producers had the fruits of their labour on full display Sunday for the EPIC Harvest Festival at Pelee Island Winery in Kingsville, Ont.

At Pelee, managing director Annemarie Mercedes Heikenwalder said the team finished harvesting two weeks earlier than last year due to the positive conditions.

“We had a great harvest all year round, and I think we're going to be able to produce some really high-quality wine this year,” Mercedes Heikenwalder said.

While production yielded similar amounts to years past, Pelee used the opportunity to plant a new grape variety, which will be used for wine in about three to five years.

In recent years, other popular Canadian wine-producing markets have not received the same courtesy from Mother Nature.

Winemakers in B.C. have previously suffered through years burdened by wildfires, record heat and cold snaps.

“There’s always that risk,” she said.

“We've had years where we've had severe frosts through the winters that have affected our products as well.”

Windsor-Essex has the longest growing season amongst producers, Mercedes Heikenwalder noted, which could help the region boost its reputation for wine production in the years to come.

“I expect that we'll see less and less of the same effects that other regions have, due to the changing climate.”