because within a short time you can lose that perfect balance. It’s always a balancing act, when to pick,” he adds. You can make some adjustments when you’re making the wine to overcome imperfections, but the better the grapes you pick, the more you have to work with.
Saucier is working to find chemical markers that will help winemakers know where the grapes are in the process; when maceration should stop, for instance.
Another study he’s working on includes an analysis of the tannins in the seeds and the skin of the individual berries. As the seeds become brown, they are riper, and they become crunchier as well, he notes.
He would like to uncover a chemical marker to take some of the intuition out of deciding ripeness. Nitrogen also has an impact on ripeness, particularly tannins. Generally, the Okanagan has sandy soils so fertilizing is necessary, but it’s important to use as little as possible so lush green growth is not encouraged, but the grapes grow, he explains. He’s currently analyzing grapes from two sites within a Black Sage vineyard where different amounts of nitrogen have been applied, to discover what results in more phenolics and colour, and it appears that there is better colour with a lower use of nitrogen. The Okanagan’s grapes and wines are already world-class, he says, and there are fewer pests and diseases than Bordeaux.
The next step grape growers and winemakers here must take is to select the best varieties and concentrate on them to achieve both higher quality and price.
It may not be easy, but Saucier feels strongly that it is important to create an image for Okanagan wines, that varietal choices should be narrowed to those that do the best here, instead of trying to grow every grape varietal known.
Saucier began drinking wine in his teens at every family meal and admits he has tried some of the great wines of France. By comparison he says he has tried some B.C. wins that are very good.
“Based on what I’ve tasted, the Okanagan should concentrate on growing merlot, pinot noir and cabernet franc,” he says.
In whites, he feels the chardonnay does exceptionally well here, along
with gewurztraminer and riesling. Pinot gris, which is one of the most- planted grapes, he feels could do well with more concentrated flavours. Of course, different parts of the
valley are different too, and soil has an effect on phenolics.
The work he is doing now comes at a critical point in the evolution of the industry, so he is hopeful he will have results soon that can be helpful in achieving the next stage in its growth here.
Another area of interest is oxidation and aging; predicting the aging
potential of different wines. “We must work to increase the quality of wines. Restricting water and fertilization as much as possible is very important, though,” he says. But, winnowing down the hundreds of grape varietals currently grown here is also important.
"I know it's hard to pull out mature vines, but it's really important to focus on only the best varietals,î he emphasizes.
With some of the others, blending can be done to produce cheaper wines, he adds.
B.C. Ministry of Agriculture
Those producers, who missed the September 30th deadline to submit their 2010 AgriStability/AgriInvest Harmonized form, can still do so. The final deadline is December 31st 2011. Those producers receiving a benefit payment will have to pay a penalty of $500.00 for each month the forms are filed late to a maximum of $1500.00. These deadlines can- not be changed or appealed. Producers who miss the December 31st deadline will not be eligible for a 2010 pro- gram year payment.
Please be advised that producers who missed the April 30th 2011 enrolment deadline and have not paid their 2011 fees can still do so. They have until December 31st 2011. However, a 20 percent penalty will be charged.
Website:
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/agristability
Growing forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative AgriStability Regional offices
200 1500 Hardy St Kelowna, BC V1Y 8H2
1767 Angus Campbell Rd
Abbotsford, BC V3G 2M3
201-9971 350th Ave. Oliver, BC V0H 1T0
PO Box 857 British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Winter 2011-12 10043 100th St
Fort St. John, BC V1J 3Y5
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