Grape Growers of Ontario - Trevor Falk

Let's meet the next grape grower who grows the wine we love! This is Trevor Falk. He is a grower from Niagara-on-the lake.

Trevor Falk, Ontario grape grower

“You might say that wine runs in my blood. In the 1930’s, my grandfather was one of the first farmers to recognize the Niagara region’s grape-growing potential and in the 1970’s, my parents became pioneers in the industry. Even as a boy, I looked forward to the day I’d take over the family operation, and I’ve already got plans for the 4th generation of Falks”.  - Trevor Falk, Ontario grape grower

4th generation in the making!
How cute is this little guy!

In the video Trevor gives us a small glimpse of a typical day during harvest.  I know that sometimes people romanticize harvest and what fun it must be to gather the fruits of the vine's labour. I know I do!   I always forget that harvest is downright dirty hard work along with long hours. Trevor mentions how he used to help with hand harvesting when he was younger. With the advance in technology of mechanical harvesters, what used to take days to complete, can now be finished in hours.

What's the difference between hand and mechanized harvesting?

Hand
Picking by hand is expensive and to harvest an entire vineyard can take days. However, having that human contact, the grapes can be more scrutinized. Rotten or unripe clusters can be excluded and "MOG" can be further reduced. MOG stands for material other than grapes such as leaves, twigs...bugs...animals...well, you get the point. Picking by hand is much gentler on the fruit so there is less of a chance that the grapes will get damaged. If the grapes break open, they're exposed to air and yeast. This is a big problem because it causes oxidation and premature fermentation.

Machine
Mechanical harvesters move above vines and gently vibrate them so that the grapes are separated from their stems. This process must be a gentle one because you don't want to ruin the vines in the process. You also don't want to have “MOG” mixed in with the picked grapes. That'll just create more sorting work once the bins reach the winery.A machine can generally pick about 5 tons of grapes per hour. That's a lot. That's a lot more than hand pickers! Speed is the greatest asset of a machine harvester. It can gather the fruit and have it brought to the winery right away. This brings down the cost for producing the finished wine but it can also save a harvest if extreme weather conditions threaten the harvest and the fruit needs to come in quickly. Harvesting by machine can also be done at night while the temperatures are cooler which preserves the fruit.

We always hear how high quality wines are associated with hand harvesting. However, more and more producers are switching to either mechanical harvesting or a combination of the two. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages.

To read more about Trevor Falk:
www.grapegrowersofontario.com

Let's support our local growers by continuing to drink local wine! Go Local! :)

The Grape Growers of Ontario have been featuring different growers during key points of the grape growing season.

Early spring with Prince Edward Country grower, Debra Marshall
www.theyummygrape.com/2011/07/grape-growers-of-ontario.html

Discovery berry formation with the Funks in St. Catherines
www.theyummygrape.com/2011/08/grape-growers-of-ontario-funk-family.html

Verasion in Niagara-on-the-Lake with Kevin Watson
www.theyummygrape.com/2011/09/grape-growers-of-ontario-watsons.html

Beginning of harvest with the Mitchell family of Lake Erie North Shore
www.theyummygrape.com/2011/11/grape-growers-of-ontario-mitchells.html

Meet Ontario grape growers on facebook.com/grapegrowersofontario

Grape Growers of Ontario - The Mitchells

Gord Mitchell

Continuing our discovery of Ontario grape growers, this video introduces us to Gord Mitchell and his daughter, Tanya. I'm very sad to say that as I was starting this article on the Mitchells, I learned that Gord passed away suddenly last week on Sunday November 6th at the age of 66. My deepest condolences to the Mitchell family.

Gord and Tanya Mitchell

The Mitchells own Sprucewood Shores Winery in Harrow, Ontario. This is located in the appellation known as Lake Erie North Shore. I have to admit in that I've haven't visited this region yet but it is on my list of places to visit!

www.sprucewoodshores.com

Ontario has four major wine appellations, each with their own unique characteristics:

The Niagara Peninsula

Prince Edward County

Lake Erie North Shore

Pelee Island

Situated in one of the most southern parts of Ontario, vineyards of Lake Erie North Shore have plenty of sunshine. This long growing season allows the fruit to ripen well. The cool lake breezes off the shallow waters of Lake Erie ensure that grapes retain that delicate balance between sweetness and acidity. The region has twelve wineries specializing in Riesling, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

www.vqaontario.ca/Appellations/LakeErieNorthShore

In the video Gord discusses how the production of wine truly starts in the vineyard. Good wine comes from ripe, quality fruit. Winemaking is an art and it all starts on the vine itself. One can certainly do scientific analysis on the grapes but it doesn't compare to tasting those grapes to really see where they're at. Gord mentions that he and his wife started the vineyard twenty years ago and how Ontario has it's own unique climate, soil and people. He enjoys the rich, lush Cabernet Franc that comes from Ontario.  As I watch this video, I can't help but feel so sad at the passing of Gord Mitchell. I believe that Lake Erie South Shore has truly lost a key player in their local wine industry and a strong advocate of the Ontario industry as a whole.

Grape Growers of Ontario - The Watsons

It's harvest time in Ontario! I spent the day in wine country this past weekend and seeing the vines full of ripe fruit made me so excited. What will the vintage of 2011 bring?  This is the time of year where everyone holds their breath, hoping that mother nature cooperates. Hopefully as harvest approaches, we will have that warm, dry weather that's needed to bring this vintage to a close. Fingers and toes crossed.

My next post for the Grape Growers of Ontario series features Kevin Watson.  He runs K.J Watson Farms LTD in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  As a second generation grape grower, Kevin and his wife, Cathy, now have 80 acres with over 13 different vinifera (the most common wine vine) varieties. In the latest video, Kevin discusses what makes a good wine grape and how to tell when a grape is ripe. These are fitting topics as we head into the 2011 harvest season.

This video is filmed during the period called "veraison". This is when the grapes start to turn colour as they mature and ripen. Did you notice in the video that Kevin was taking away the extra leaves off the vines? This is so that the grapes can get that much needed sunlight. If the vines have too much foliage, they don't turn the energy to ripening the berries. If at veraison, certain clusters are lagging behind the rest, those clusters can be dropped to the ground so the vine can turn its energy into ripening the remaining clusters.  This is called "green harvest".  Unripe berries can lead to unripe flavours in the finished wine. Sure, you'll get a smaller crop in the end, but more flavourful fruit. Wine grapes are meant to be small. You don't want big, fat and juicy grapes. Leave those for table grapes. Good wine comes from small berries. Good things do indeed come in small packages!

We all know that the main difference between red and white wine is of course, the skin. Red wine gets its colour from the the skins of the grapes. You can certainly make a white wine from red/purple/black grapes...just leave out the skins during the winemaking process. The grape skins can include a lot of the flavours that you might find in that particular varietal wine. If you pick a Syrah (Shiraz) grape off the vine, for example, the skin itself can exhibit black pepper flavours whereas Gewürztraminer grape skins can be spicy. Neat!

Kevin Watson, 2007 "Grape King"
Each year the Grape Growers of Ontario award a grower as being the Grape King.
This recognition is for the best grape grower of the year.

As harvest approaches, how does a grower tell when to pick the grapes? Kevin talks about how he assesses the grape seed colour, texture and firmness. Ultimately, it's the act of tasting the grapes that is usually the final indicator of when to pick. So now is the time when growers and winemakers walk between the vines, tasting the berries. When they call to pick, it's a mad dash to get those grapes off the vines and into the winery to perform the magic!

Meet the growers and see the care that goes into growing the grapes that produce the Ontario wines you love at: www.facebook.com/grapegrowersofontario

Grape Growers of Ontario - the Funk Family

The second family featured by the Grape Growers of Ontario is the Funk family. What a cool name. I bet they've got the funk...for grapes! Ok ok, bad bad joke. What can I say, I love the music from the 1970s...especially funk!  :)

Taking care of the vines

In this video, the Funk family discuss their favourite grape varieties to grow and how each grape variety has it's own unique challenges. It must be such hard work to maintain a vineyard. Not only are you at mercy of the weather but you have to fight off all types of pests and diseases that could potentially ruin your crop. I have such respect for grape growers. It certainly isn't for the faint of heart! I completely agree with the statement that you need good quality grapes to produce good quality wine. I guess you could say that wine making starts in the vineyard!

The Funk family discuss one of the elements that they (as well as other Ontario grape growers) fight with in their vineyard - humidity. Anyone living here in Ontario know that we have lots of humidity. Why is humidity so bad for a vineyard? Too much of it promotes disease and mildew. The vineyard climate has so much to do with the overall health and quality of the grapes which I'll say again, has so much to do with the quality of the finished wine. You can't make good wine from bad grapes!

From the Grape Growers of Ontario website:

Great wine starts in the vineyard.

The Funk Family

Doug Funk, his son Doug Jr, and his brother Randy tend the family vineyards in Niagara, Ontario.

Having grown up on a fruit farm, working in the vineyards with their grandfather and uncles, the Funk family knows that good wine starts with good quality grapes.    The Grape Growers of Ontario invite you to meet our growers and watch the vineyards mature throughout the season.  In our latest video, the Funks walk you through their Riesling vineyards when they are in mid bloom. 

www.grapegrowersofontario.com

Check out Grape Growers of Ontario on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Grapegrowersofontario

Now let's get funky!

Grape Growers of Ontario

The Grape Growers of Ontario association is launching a campaign to introduce the grape growers to us, the consumer. The passion and dedication of these growers is helping fuel our growing wine industry. It's important to know who they are and what they do. We should be proud of our wines and the people behind them. When I tell people from other countries that Canada makes wine, their eyes open wide and they ask "Really? Canada makes wine?".  I eagerly respond, "We do and it's delicious!".

Yes our winters here in Ontario are harsh but what makes successful wine production possible is the proximity of the vineyards to large bodies of water - the great lakes. The wine growing areas of Ontario are near Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The lake acts as a temperature regulator.

This is Debra Marshall. Her and her husband, Thomas, grow Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir grapes on 10 acres of land in Prince Edward County. They own and run Robert Thomas Estate Vineyards and Winery Inc. in Cherry Valley, Ontario. The farm has been in Debra's family for four generations. In the video she says that her favourite wine to drink is pinot noir. That's one of mine too. I love her quote: "I figured if I planted what I loved to drink myself, I would take very good care of it".

Thomas and Debra Marshall, grape growers

Prince Edward County  ("The County"), is Ontario's newest wine growing region. It was officially established as a wine appellation in 2007. Only 2.5 hours from Toronto, it's a beautiful picturesque, rustic destination.  If you've been to the Niagara wine region, The County is quite different. The region is the most northerly wine growing area in Ontario. The wines show the minerality from all that limestone in the soil.  I highly recommend visiting and of course, sampling the wines.  Prince Edward County specializes in cool climate grape growing. Common varietals are chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet franc.

Grape Growers of Ontario:
www.grapegrowersofontario.com

"Like" The Grape Growers of Ontario on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Grapegrowersofontario

Prince Edward County Wine Region, including information about the wineries:
www.thecountywines.com

For more information about the Prince Edward County Appellation:
www.vqaontario.ca/Appellations/PrinceEdwardCounty

A great site about the Ontario wine regions:
www.winecountryontario.ca