Cool-Climate Viticulture in Ontario
The Risks and Rewards of Making Wine in a Marginal Climate
In The Wine Atlas of Canada, wine writer Tony Aspler defines a cool-climate region as one in which the hottest month of the growing season has a mean temperature of less than 20°C. In Ontario the hottest month would be July.
Cool-climate regions certainly pose many challenges and can often be heartbreaking for the dedicated and passionate viticulturalists and winemakers who lovingly care for the vines. The vineyards may be at risk of serious damage and even death if winter temperatures fall to below -20°C. Late spring and early autumn frost can also drastically reduce yields or even completely wipe out an entire crop. In addition, low summer temperatures can prevent some grapes from ripening properly.
Snow in Winter can Help Protect Vines from Extreme Cold
Of course, viticultural techniques are employed to reduce the risk of damage. Vines are typically trained low to the ground so snow cover in the winter can help protect vines from the extreme cold. In Prince Edward County, a Designated Viticultural Area in Ontario, winter temperatures can frequently drop to dangerous levels, so in an attempt to protect the vines they are actually buried in soil in the autumn, and then dug up again in the spring, at a huge labour cost.
Wind Machines Push Warm Air Down to the Vines
Wind machines are also used to help save a vineyard from the devastating effects of frost or very cold temperatures. These wind machines have blades similar to a helicopter. When the large blades rotate, the warm air above the vines is pushed down towards the ground, raising the temperature around the grapes by as much as 5°C. At a cost of between $25,000 and $45,000 each, they are a huge investment. Since they operate on gas or liquid propane, the cost of running them can be thousands of dollars a night. They are indeed costly, but well-worth it, considering the expense of having to replant a vineyard and then wait three years until the vines produce grapes suitable for quality winemaking.
Viticulturalists will also have more success if the grapes grown are suitable for the climatic conditions of the vineyard site. Some varieties, such as Riesling, Pinot Noir, and many hybrids, prefer cooler climates, while others, such as Zinfandel and Grenache, require warmer temperatures to fully ripen.
Cool-Climate Wines are Lively, Fresh, and Complex
Although it may not seem possible, the rewards of winemaking in a cool climate can, in fact, outweigh the risks. While grapes grown in hot climates ripen quickly and develop high sugar levels, they lose acidity and can end up seeming flabby and one-dimensional. The best grapes are ripened after a long growing season, that is not too warm, to allow the grapes to mature slowly, producing aromatic and complex wines with vibrant acidity. Cool-climate wines are characteristically lively and fresh, and can be described as elegant wines with lots of finesse.
The typically high acid levels found in cool-climate wines make them excellent food wines. The acidity acts to stimulate the taste buds, making our mouths water, and cleansing the palate with every sip.
Geographical Features Create Favourable Conditions
In Ontario, four Designated Viticultural Areas (DVAs) that produce high quality wines have been identified. These are: the Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore, Pelee Island, and Prince Edward County, which received DVA status in June 2007. They are all cool-climate regions and they all have distinctive geographical features which create favourable conditions for high quality grape growing.
A major contributing factor is the regions' proximity to either Lake Ontario or Lake Erie. These very large bodies of water have huge moderating effects on the climates of these areas. In the winter, the lakes retain heat, and the cold winter winds are warmed up as they pass over the water. The now warmer winds then blow over the land preventing temperatures from falling to critical levels. In the summer, the winds coming off the lake are cooler, helping to keep temperatures down and allowing grapes to ripen while maintaining acidity.
It is fortunate that over three decades ago, a few brave pioneers saw the huge potential of Ontario's cool-climate geographical features and decided to take a chance and plant vitis vinifera vines. Many people thought they were foolish, but they persevered, and today Ontario produces many styles of high quality wines. Of course, Ontario is well-known around the globe for its Icewines, which are among the best in the world, but other styles of wine are beginning to catch the attention of wine experts outside the province. At a wine competition held in May 2009 by Quebec magazine, Cellier, Ontario wine, Le Clos Jordanne Claystone Terrace 2005 Chardonnay, beat out top Chardonnays from California and the illustrious Burgundy region of France.
Ontario's cool-climate wines are proving to be very rewarding, indeed.
Vines Low to the Ground
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Wind Machines in a Cool-Climate Vineyard
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