NOVEMBER 2018 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


UVic research seeks perfect picking time for


wine grapes Two-year study underway in Cowichan Valley


by SEAN MCINTYRE DUNCAN – It's a sunny and


clear October day in Vancouver Island's Cowichan Valley, and that means it's all hands on deck at most of the region's wineries and vineyards. Pickers are hauling in the 2018 harvest before the rains arrive. With a growing number of


visitors, broader distribution of wines, and yet another long, dry growing season behind them, there's plenty to excite growers in the valley known as the land warmed by the sun. Now there's even more good news. Researchers have launched


a two-year project hoping to change how and when local grapes are harvested. John Volpe, an associate


professor at the University of Victoria, says it's common for growers on the northern fringe of the prime grape growing region to let fruit hang for as long as possible. The longer the fruit is left to mature on the vine, the sweeter the grapes. The longer growing seasons vineyards have enjoyed in recent years have, however, forced some experts to reconsider traditional practices and plan for the future. “As things continue to


change due to climate change, we're anticipating that the wait to the last second will no longer be the standard operating procedure,” Volpe says. “It's time we take a more judicious examination of harvest time.”


Delicate balance


In regions where long seasons are the norm, there's potential for sugars to exceed levels a winemaker seeks in his grapes. Where this is the case, harvests are undertaken well before the end of the growing season based on a concept called phenolic ripeness, a marker based on the diversity and abundance of compounds that define flavour. What makes things especially challenging is that phenolic ripeness peaks at a given date, then begins to deteriorate. This differs from sugar content, which steadily increases the longer a grape hangs on the vine. Whereas winemakers and


vineyard managers in traditional wine regions can draw on centuries of experience, striking precisely the right mix of sweetness and flavour is a challenge for growers in the new wine world of BC. “Though the assumption has been the longer you can hang your fruit the better, we're at this point where, due


Kayla Cornett and Erik Volet were busy picking grapes at Blue Grouse Winery in Duncan this fall. SEAN MCINTYRE PHOTO


to changes in climate and advancements in viticulture, what remains unknown is when to pick for phenolic ripeness. That's what this project at its heart is meant to uncover,” Volpe says. Research began this year at


Blue Grouse Estate Winery, Unsworth Vineyards and Enrico Winery using Pinot Gris, the most popular white varietal by tonnage in the province. The research uses specialized spectrometry technology and field manipulations. Volpe is overseeing


research conducted by University of Victoria Master’s student Andrew Watts, who also manages the vineyard at Unsworth. Watts says the opportunity to obtain this information is a perfect blend of his passion for working


See RESEARCH on next page o


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