Tag: harvest

This is my seventh year interviewing winemakers or winery principals in Ontario about their latest grape harvest and wine production.  Now that it is early December and the wines are all in tanks or barrels, how did the Ontario grape growing season and harvest fare?  I interviewed three winemakers/winery principals this year: Chris Thompson, Winemaker at Lighthall Vineyards in Prince Edward…

The BC coastal wineries and the Fraser Valley had a completely different winemaking experience compared to the interior of BC in 2024.  With the cold weather winter snap in the Interior, most of the vitis vinifera vines died so many winemakers had to source grapes from outside of BC; Many chose Washington and Oregon states.  The coastal and Fraser Valley…

This year’s harvest in the BC interior was extremely different from past harvests as the winter cold snap killed most of the grape vines.  Coastal and Fraser Valley wineries did not suffer the same fate.  The amount of grapevine loss varied a bit in the interior, depending on how close the vineyards were to interior lakes and the slopes where…

It was a pleasure to meet Mr. Denis Guthmuller, winemaker and President of the Syndicat des Vignerons des Cotes du Rhone, in Vancouver at the Rhone Valley Vineyards Wine Maker Tour.  I spoke with Mr. Guthmuller about the current harvest in the Rhone Valley for his winery.  Watch the video and see what you can expect from Cotes du Rhone…

This is my sixth year interviewing winemakers or winery principals in Ontario about their latest grape harvest and wine production.  I visited the Niagara-on-the-Lake area in September and heard many positive comments from winemakers about the upcoming harvest season.  Now that it is early December and the wines are all in tanks or barrels, how did the Ontario grape growing…

For the 2023 harvest, many winegrowers reported their earliest start on record due to a hot, sunny summer. What did Wines of British Columbia have to say? From Wines of British Columbia, “Going into the summer season BC wineries knew they were facing the challenge of a reduced wine grape crop. “A devastating extreme cold event in December 2022 impacted…

The 2022 harvest is the first after COVID restrictions have been lifted.  I am sure that lifting COVID restrictions was appreciated by BC wineries.  We had a cool start to the growing season, followed by mere mm of rain between July and mid-October so I’d guess the weather has had an impact on harvest and fermentation, but we shall see…

This is my fifth year interviewing winemakers in Ontario about their latest grape harvest and wine production.  To get a more complete picture of the harvest I asked the following questions to three winemakers in three different grape-growing regions of southern Ontario, which should have some differences in climate and harvest.   The three winemakers I interviewed this year are: Dan…

As I was out in the Okanagan in September visiting a few wineries, I took a few pictures of different grape varieties. We all know the names of different grapes, but what do they look like? Did you know that ripe Pinot Gris skins are not yellow? As they mature they turn a pinkish brown and then purple colour. Below…

The BC wine harvest was just starting as I was on vacation in the Okanagan the second last week of September.  The winemakers I spoke to noted that they are about a month behind for the start of harvest.  Wines of BC sent me this press release with more information about this year’s grape harvest in BC.  Give it a…