Cold Comfort for Wineries

Published December 31, 2011
By Angela Scappatura, Standard Staff
SOURCE: ST.CATHARINES STANDARD

While the sudden dip in temperature may be frustrating for some people, at least two Niagara wineries have found solace in the cold.

Workers at Henry of Pelham Winery and Pillitteri Estates Winery were roused from their beds early Thursday morning for the icewine grape harvest as the temperature hit -9°C.

“It’s an expensive year for us, but that’s the way icewine goes,” said Paul Speck, president of the Henry of Pelham Winery in west St. Catharines. He slid his hands into his coat pockets and smiled. “We were glad to get it done because every day we lose more yield.”

Just inside the Henry of Pelham processing facility, a forklift gently manoeuvred a barrel-shaped container brimming with a half-tonne of Riesling grapes. It’s one of 80 to 90 containers destined for the wine press.

That means about 40 tonnes of grapes were picked this season — a significant decrease from last year’s crop of about 200 tonnes.

Speck had expected this year’s yield to be smaller. The autumn rain prompted the winery to harvest more of its grapes for table wine. Then, as the mild winter temperatures delayed the harvest, the grapes were threatened by rot, dehydration and predators.

“It’s unfortunate, but the good news is, because of the lower yields, the grapes are more concentrated,” he said, watching as one of the workers poured some of the thick Riesling grape juice over a refractometer. The small device measures the sugar content in the juice.

“We’re looking for at least 36,” Speck said. It was 39.8. “This is going to make a really opulent tasting wine.”

Pillitteri Estates Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake opted to pick its delicate Riesling and Cabernet Franc grapes, and left the heartier Vidal grapes on the vine for a more frigid night.

“The red (Cabernet Franc) took a beating this year,” said winery president Gary Pillitteri. “If we don’t get some of it harvested, it will dry up.”

This year has been difficult and different from other years, he said. The red grapes were dehydrated, riper and some started splitting in October.

The mild winter has been frustrating, but Pillitteri said there’s still hope for the Vidal grapes still on the vine.

“We are disappointed, but we still say we’re in Canada,” he said. “The results in the yield will be much, much less but the quality will be more excellent.”

While Henry of Pelham and Pillitteri decided to start the harvest, there are dozens of wineries still waiting for that perfect temperature. Wine producers have a window of -8°C to -12°C to pick the icewine grapes.

Frank Hellwig, viticulturalist manager at Inniskillin Wines in Niagara-on-the-Lake, prefers to wait until temperatures hover around -10°C to -12°C.

“We don’t pick on the first occasion anyway. We need a couple of freezes to get the character notes we want before we pick,” he said. Ideally, Hellwig wants to see a sugar concentration of about 40.

Sue-Anne Staff from Staff Estate Winery in Jordan is another producer who has chosen to wait.

“I just looked at the long-range forecast and Jan. 3 looks pretty good,” she said, then laughed. “It’s my birthday, so that would be good.”