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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • SEPTEMBER 2019


Climate change concerns grapegrowers Research, sustainability efforts will help producers mitigate changing weather patterns


by TOM WALKER PENTICTON—More than 350 delegates attended


two days of presentations around the theme of sustainable winemaking during the 19th annual BC Wine Grape Council enology and viticulture conference in Penticton on July 15-16. “This is a really important opportunity for BC


growers to come together to hear the latest from local researchers and international experts,” says BCWGC executive director Kate Durisek. The trade show attracted more than 100 exhibitors, not only from Canada and the US but also Europe and China. “This is a way for us to communicate within the


industry so we can understand what we need help with as far as research and development and education,” adds Township 7 Estate Winery winemaker Mary McDermott, a member of the BCWGC board. “There are such different levels of knowledge here in BC that this conference is a great way to share and bring the whole industry up.” Sustainable Winegrowing BC is developing outcome criteria to underpin a certification program for BC. It builds on the sustainability guidebooks that have been available to growers, winemakers and tasting rooms for the last five years. McDermott says sustainability is really important


given the times. “We really have to start focusing on sustainability,” she says. “When you listen to some of the talks we had at the conference around climate change and how the industry can continue on, this was a very timely topic.” Rising temperatures and the variable weather associated with climate change will have a substantial impact on the wine industry says, Greg Jones, Evenstad chair in wine studies at Linfield


College in McMinnville, Oregon. The timing and development of all stages of a


vine’s life from bud break to harvest and dormancy will be altered. This will affect the ripening of the fruit and the styles of wine made. Rising temperatures create new challenges in the


vineyard affecting growing practices and disease. Some regions may become too hot for current grape varieties, Jones notes; some will ripen earlier due to the heat, potentially leading to wines with high alcohol content and less complex flavours. On the other hand, viticulture will expand into new areas that were previously too cool to be viable. “Grape growing is a complex system,” says Jones.


“Climate changes will require the industry to make adjustments at all stages.”


Research assures continued success


The work of local scientists is a key for the continued success of the industry and, indeed, a number of the research projects are supported by the $10 a ton levy wineries pay on all mainland grape purchases. Tom Forge, research scientist at the Summerland


Research and Development Centre, and soil biologist Miranda Hart, an associate professor at UBC Okanagan, outlined their work on managing parasitic nematodes in grapes, while Michelle Franklin of Kwantlen Polytechnic University spoke about using entomopathogenic nematodes as part of an integrated pest management strategy to help control cutworms. Fungal pathogens have a significant impact on


the grape growing worldwide and represent a 10% loss in the Okanagan Valley according to Summerland Research and Development Centre scientist José Ramón Úrbez-Torres. Fungal pathogens exist in the bark of the vines and infect


the plant through wounds, particularly pruning wounds. Úrbez-Torres helped organize the 11th International Workshop on Grapevine Trunk Diseases held in Penticton in early July. He gave an overview of management strategies being developed in Canada to address the issue. UBC research associate Tanja Voegel gave an


overview of research on crown gall in BC. When grapevines sustain winter damage, they may be weakened and be susceptible to the bacteria that causes crown gall. Kerry Wilkinson of the University of Adelaide,


Australia, gave an overview of her 12 years of work on the effects of smoke taint in the vineyard and winery, while Wesley Zandberg of UBC offered a local perspective. Florence Gras, sustainability manager for the


French consulting firm Groupe ICV, gave examples of sustainability projects that her firm has developed in cooperation with French viticulturalists. Katie Pease, program manager for Sustainable Winegrowing BC, held a townhall meeting on the sustainability standards being developed in advance of certification set to launch in summer 2020. Mission Hill Family Estate is transitioning all of its 1,350 acres of vineyard to certified organic practices. Rob Achurch, senior viticulturalist with Sebastian


Farms, the vineyard management arm of Mission Hill, outlined the benefits of organic practices to the soil, the vines and workers. He also reviewed some of the challenges on the path to certification. The goal, says Achurch, is organic vineyards rather than organic wine. “The owner believes very strongly that organic


practices will benefit future generations in the valley,” he says.


AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT CODE OF PRACTICE (AEMCoP)


NEW RULES FOR NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ARE NOW IN EFFECT!


The new Code of Practice aims to ensure watercourses and groundwater are protected through requirements linked to nutrient management among other practices.


The objective of nutrient management is to produce good quality crops with nutrient sources managed in a way that protects ground and surface water. Excess nutrients in the wrong place at the wrong time can run off into watercourses and leach into the groundwater.


All B.C. farmers and ranchers are now required to ensure nutrient sources are applied at rates that do not exceed the nitrogen requirement for crops. Soil testing (required for field-based agricultural operations with 2 ha or more where nutrients are applied), helps to determine the right amount of nutrients to be applied.


WHAT ARE NUTRIENT SOURCES?


A source of nitrogen or phosphorus. Examples include; fertilizers, manure, agricultural by-products, wastewater and soil conditioners. QUESTIONS? Email: AEMCoPenquiries@gov.bc.ca


FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: www.gov.bc.ca/Agricultural-Environmental-Management


BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) is assisting the Province of BC with communicating the key changes related to AEMCoP. Please look for this ad in the coming issues of Country Life in BC for updates.


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