Canada

Question 1

History of commercial wine industry in Canada

Answer 1

• 19thC American hybrids/ V labrusca, then early 20thC French hybrids esp Vidal Blanc could withstand winter.
• Winemakers shifted focus to V.vinifera in late 1980s
  
  • US trade deal opened Canada to US wine imports and removed subsidies from Canadian growers
  • appellation system VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) in Ontario and British Columbia
• Canada had prohibition 1916-27, but wine exempt, so wineries increased. BUT when repealed in 1920s, syste, of provincial/ govt run monopolies created that still control sale/distribution today

Question 2

Canada’s wine industry in one slide

Answer 2

• Vast majority of Canada high latitude/ too cold for viticulture
• 12,500 ha under vine
• 98% Ontario (Niagara Peninsula) and British Columbia (Okanagan Valley)
• internationally famous for Icewine (1970s German immigrants), yet only small part of production, so looking to grow sparkling and still exports
• new industry (since 1980s & US Canada trade deal) and
• VQA appellation system (1988 Ontario, 1990 Brit Columb)

Question 3

Canada’s climate

Answer 3

• mainly (Ontario and inland British Columbia, 4000km apart) extreme continental. Summer 30^o+C, winter -20^o
• vineyards located between 41 and 51^oN, so, esp BCol, short growing season, but longer daylight hours
• drought issue - in BCol in rainshadow, also Ontario if hot
• grape growing possible because moderating lakes and diverse microclimates
• lakes cause humidity, raising risk of fungal
• spring frosts slight issue. In winter snow usually protects vines, but winterfreeze issue in Prince Edward County and climate change affecting snow cover

Question 4

How do the lakes in Canada moderate the climate?

Answer 4

• vineyards planted near lakes
• in winter lakes reduce risk of winter freeze
  
  • warm, moist air from lakes meets ambient cool air and precipitates as snow, insulates vines (though Prince Edward County often freezes)
• in spring, water heats slowly, delaying budbreak till after risk of spring frosts
• in autumn lake retains summer warmth, so extends growing season

Question 5

Vineyard management in Canada

Answer 5

• v advanced, knowledgeable and high tech
• near humid lakes open canopy management to avoid mildew, botrytis, so VSP most common. Some trying Geneva Double Curtain, Scott Henry, Lyre
• hotter, dry eg BC’s Okanagan Valley less risk, so sustainable/ organic, drip irrigation common
• main pests in Canada are insects (moths, mealy bugs, leafhoppers), birds, deer and bears
• winterfreeze risk in Prince Edward County means burying vines (time/cost) or geo textiles fabrics draped
• where not so bitter, soil protects grafts (eg Okanagan)

Question 6

Plantings of hybrid grape varieties in Canada

Answer 6

• 1/3 of all vines in Ontario (mostly used in International Canadian Blends, not VQA)
• very few left in British Columbia after vine pull schemes in late 80s
• most important is Vidal

Question 7

Grape varieties in Canada

Answer 7

• Bordeaux varieties
  
  • Merlot, Cab Franc (mid-ripening, so good for short summers) and, less, Cab Sauvignon (late ripening)
• Chardonnay
• Pinot Noir
• Aromatics
  
  • Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling
• Some Syrah, Viognier, Malbec
• Vidal
• all have relatively high acidity due to cold/ diurnal

Question 8

one slide on Vidal

Answer 8

• French hybrid which is winter hardy
• high acidity (less than Riesling), slow ripening & thick skins ideal for sweet late-harvest wines and icewine (even if not as aromatically complex/ ageworthy as Riesling)
• harvested at -8^oC or lower
• concentrates sugars to 200-250 g/l - very sweet
• stone and tropical fruits like apricot, peach and mango, high acidity, very good, premium

Question 9

harvest time in Canada

Answer 9

• short growing season
• budbreak can be as late as early May
• harvest late August to November (depending on varieties), into following February for icewine
• unpredictable weather (rain and autumn frosts) so significant vintage variation

Question 10

one slide on icewine

Answer 10

• 2017 15% volume yet 2/3 value of Canada’s exports
• expensive to produce, yields 10% of still wine
• almost all Ontario - grapes left on vine routinely freeze
• production regulations harvest at -8^oC or below (some hand pick, but workers hard to find, so machine often)
• freezing concentrates sugars, fermentation naturally halts at 9-11%, 200-250g/L res sug, so grapes need high acidity to balance. Mainly Vidal, but best Riesling. Also Cab Franc, Chardonnay & Gewurztraminer
• fermentation steel to retain aromas/flavours of grape, but some oak maturation for vanilla, cloves

Question 11

why is Icewine so expensive to produce?

Answer 11

• yields only 10% of still wine
  
  • partly due to grapes hydrating
  • partly due to damage/ bad weather/ rot/ animals whilst waiting for temperature to drop to -8^oC
• harvesting by hand v expensive, though mainly machine now

Question 12

laws governing icewine

Answer 12

• grapes must be naturally frozen on the vine
• picked at -8^oC or lower
• exclusively from grapes grown in Canada
• either V vinifera or Vidal
• minimum sugar levels (higher than German Eiswein)
• no artificial concentration/ addition of sugars

Question 13

wine-making trends in Canada

Answer 13

• since late 1980s when producers embraced V vinifera much imporvement and learning
• initially followed European techniques, but now increasingly looking to minimise intervention
  
  • ambient yeasts, unfiltered wines, less new oak, more neutral vessels
• in cooler regions/ cooler years some chaptalization

Question 14

wine laws in Canada

Answer 14

• Vintners Quality Alliance Ontario 1988, Brit Col 1990
• VQA wines 100% from respective province
• 100% V vinifera or permitted hybrids
• some standards - min must weights, chaptalization limits
• wines tested: lab analysis and sensory evaluation panel
• VQA wine single variety = minimum 85% variety
• 2 or more must be minimum 95% of the wine
• International Canadian Blends (ICB) use imported wines, must state this, can say cellared in Canada. Cheaper
• “Product of Canada” entirely Canadian grapes, not VQA

Question 15

climate of Niagara Peninsula (80% of vineyards of Ontario)

Answer 15

• 41-44^oN (eg central Italy to Bordeaux, but v diff!)
• diverse, from shore of Lake Ontario up to Niagara Escarpment, a 100m high north facing limestone bluff
• together, lake & escarpment create air currents
  
  • Lake Ontario deep: long to warm in spring and cool in autumn. Winter: cold air rolls down escarpment, replacing warm rising lake air, vice versa in summer
  • prolongs growing season, reduces fungal/frosts
• escarpment protects from bitter south-westerly winds
• extreme continental on top of escarpment, away from lake influence

Question 16

one slide on Ontario

Answer 16

• east Canada, largest wine production area (7300 ha)
• varied soils, clay, sand; lots limestone in lake area
• 90% of Canada’s icewine, Vidal most planted grape
• of still, not late harvest 50% white, 45% red, 5% rosé
• main whites Riesling and Chardonnay
• main red Cabernet Franc, also Merlot (both mid-ripening and lower in tannins than eg Cab Sav)
• Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir on the increase
• viticulture poss due to Great Lakes Erie & Ontario
• 3 appellations Niagara Peninsula (80%), Lake Erie North Shore, Prince Edward County
• outstanding VQA wines eg Bachelder, Norman Hardie

Question 17

key wine styles in Ontario (excluding Icewine)

Answer 17

• medium(+) to high acidity as cool, yet ripe fruit flavours due to long sunshine hours
• Riesling high acid, citrus, peach, floral (dry to sweet)
• Chardonnay med+/high acid, apple & citrus (ie cool climate), though stone fruit/ more tropical in warm sites
• Cabernet Franc elegant, fresh, red plums, red berries, green pepper, herbal. Often oak aged, Bordeaux blend and makes excellent icewine
• Merlot soft, med body, med tannins, dark fruits
• Pinot Noir - med body, red cherry, strawberries. V good
• Gamay Noir - light body, fresh red fruits (some oaked)

Question 18

name and compare the two regional appellations of the Niagara Peninsula

Answer 18

• Niagara Escarpment altitude + breezes = coolest part of Peninsula. On benches & gentle northern slopes of escarpment (not land by lake or on top of escarpment)
  
  • high acid, v good early ripening Chard, PN. Also Riesling and good Cab Franc (because it is mid-ripening/ less tannins to ripen than later ripe Cab S
• Niagara-on-the-Lake flat, shore to west of Niagara River
  
  • warmer (lake moderates) and longer autumns, so fruitier, riper Chard, Riesling, PN & Cab Franc.
  • also can ripen Cab Sav for Bordeaux blends

Question 19

one slide on Lake Erie North Shore

Answer 19

• one of Ontario’s three appellations (but est 10%?)
• warmest of Ontario’s vineyard areas
  
  • far south-west corner, mainly surrounded by water (has some islands like Pelee)
  • Lake Erie shallowest of Great Lakes, warms and cools quickest (so winter freeze a concern)
• Merlot, Cab Franc (mid-ripening) do well here and even Cab-Sav; all showing ripe fruits, if less structure than those from the Niagara Peninsula

Question 20

one slide on Prince Edward County

Answer 20

• one of Ontario’s three appellations (but est 10%?)
• most northerly, at east end of Lake Ontario, mainly surrounded by water, exposed to bitter winter winds from west coming over lake
• latitude means winter freeze issue, so burying/ covering vines
• vineyard area on broad limestone plateau with stony topsoil which conducts heat and radiates it at night, aiding ripening in this cool climate
• early ripening Chard & PN do best, characterised by extremely high acidity

Question 21

one slide on British Columbia

Answer 21

• west (Ontario 4000km to east), 1/3 Canada’s vineyards
• two areas
  
  • sheltered main 400k inland, Okanagan Valley (84%)
  • exposed cool, maritime to west of mountains
• 48-51^oN, short growing season, but long days, and inland wide diurnal range, ripe, fruity grapes, yet high acid
• late 1980s radical vine pull scheme targeting hybrids reduced vineyards by 2/3, so only small (esp Vidal) left, but lots new international plantings
• equal black and white grapes, notably Merlot

Question 22

key wine styles in British Columbia

Answer 22

• Merlot (most planted black) more full-bodied than Ontario, higher tannins, alcohol and riper fruit flavours
• Pinot Noir also riper/fruitier, but elegant in cool areas and increasing
• Cab-Sav, when ripens fully, intense, fruity, high tannins and acidity, age potential, more consistent than Ontario
• Pinot Gris (most planted white) dry/ offdry, best are med body, med/high acid, melon/pear. Some like Pinot Grigio
• Chardonnay med body, riper stone fruit than Ontario
• Some outstanding VQAs Le Vieux Pin, Mission Hill

Question 23

What does it mean if an appellation is named on the label of a wine in British Columbia?

Answer 23

• 95% of grapes must have come from the appellation on the label
• the remaining 5% must come from within British Columbia

Question 24

one slide on Okanagan Valley

Answer 24

• 84% Brit Columbia’s plantings
• 250km with v diff climates from cool, one of most northerly in world to hot, desert in south
• extreme continental climate moderated by chain of (smaller) lakes - deep Lake Okanagan in northern area most important
• rain 400mm in north, 300mm in south, v dry, but pests, fungus low, organic on increase
• soils are glacial, loams increasingly sandy (free draining) towards south, so irrigation essential

Question 25

north Okanagan Valley

Answer 25

• cool, one of most northerly wine areas in world (51^oN)
• moderated by lake Okanagan & irrigated 400mm rain pa
• glacial, loamy soil
• extreme continental short growing season, long days, wide diurnal range
• on east facing slopes (shaded from afternoon sun) early budding, early ripening Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer
• Riesling (cold-hardy, buds late)
• plant mid slope level to reduce spring frost risk

Question 26

south Okanagan Valley

Answer 26

• 300mm rain pa, so few pests or fungal risk, irrigation (from lakes) essential
• in hottest parts 40^oC despite lakes, but 300-600m altitude means cool nights: wide diurnal
• warmer climate suits black grapes, Merlot, Cab Franc (mid-season ripening good for short season), but Cab Sav, even Syrah can ripen fully for big, ripe fruity, high alcohol, but balanced by acidity

Question 27

one card on Similkameen Valley

Answer 27

• in British Columbia, west of southern end of Okanagan valley, a rugged, rocky valley with vineyards along Similkameen River. Protected from Pacific by Cascade Mts, so days v hot and mountains trap heat into evening. But mountains funnel winds and altitude (400-500m) means cold nights: high diurnals = ripe grapes, despite short growing season.
• mixed soils (silt, gravel, clay) suit variety of grapes. Foothills drain well, so irrigation important. Also makes organic easy (40% vineyards)
• Bordeaux oaked blends (Merlot, Cab Sav, violets, ripe blueberry/black fruits near 15%, balanced by high acidity)
• tropical Chardonnay and on high slopes med body strawberry, red & black fruit Pinot Noir.

Question 28

one card on Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands & Fraser Valley

Answer 28

• small coastal regions on Canada’s west coast (Brit Columbia), west of mountains, so exposed to Pacific influence. Cool, maritime climate
• mild winters, but cooler, wet, summers - fungal can reduce yields
• only early ripening varieties succeed, but limestone & free-draining sandy soils mean floral, med body Pinot Noirs, though high acidity can dominate the fruit.