feature / Rod Phillips / Pinot Noir in Canada


In British Columbia, Pinot Noir was the second most-planted variety in 2019, the latest year for which figures are publicly available. Its 1,332 acres (538ha) lay not far behind Merlot, which occupied 1,618 acres (654ha). Moreover, Pinot Noir was gaining on Merlot, with a 67 percent increase in the area of Pinot Noir vineyards since 2008, compared to a mere 2 percent for Merlot. (The area planted in Cabernet Franc grew faster, at 84 percent, but from a much smaller base.) If those trends have continued, Pinot Noir will be the most-planted grape variety of all in British Columbia by 2024. Pinot Noir is grown throughout British Columbia’s varied growing conditions. It is widely planted in the all-important Okanagan Valley—which ranges from warm and dry in the south, to cool and quite wet in its northern areas—and it is also planted in many of the province’s other appellations. They include the cool, wet conditions of Vancouver Island and the cool-climate northern appellations (such as Lillooet and Shuswap) that have been created in the past few years. In Quebec, Pinot Noir is by definition very much an outlier


because plantings of vinifera varieties are far outnumbered by hybrids. Pinot Noir is grown by only 20 percent of producers, and it occupies a mere 4 percent of total vineyard area. For comparison, the most widely planted red variety is the hybrid Frontenac Noir, which is grown by 70 percent of producers and occupies 10 percent of land planted to grapes. But things are changing rapidly in Quebec, where climate change is making southern regions viable for vinifera vines. A 2017 report predicted


136 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 79 | 2023


that, within 20 years, some regions would regularly successfully ripen varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Gamay. Finally, in Nova Scotia, an Atlantic province with about 20 wine producers, Pinot Noir plays a significant role in the production of sparkling wine, which has become a regional specialty. Several wineries also make varietal Pinot Noirs, but they are still marginal, and many of these wines are made only in good vintages. Producers are keenly aware of the need to plant Pinot Noir in the best conditions. At Tightrope winery on Okanagan Valley’s Naramata Bench, Pinot Noir vines planted on north-facing slopes and cooler sites “tend to do well here, where they avoid all-day sun exposure, allowing them to retain excellent acidity. The constant breeze from the lake helps mitigate disease pressure.” In Ontario’s Prince Edward County, Colin Stanners highlights the challenges of his growing conditions. Having to bury his vines before each winter means that they don’t develop a tall permanent trunk and the fruiting wire tends to be lower to the ground. “Having the fruit (and leaves) closer to the ground makes the airflow through the vineyard worse, which in turn is worse for molds and mildews.” These conditions limit his yields to one ton per acre or less, much lower than the 1.5–2.5 tons per acre that Harald Thiel, at Hidden Bench Winery in Niagara Peninsula, considers “optimal.”


Above: Details of the Pinot Noir clone and rootstock at Hidden Bench Winery in Niagara Peninsula, where conditions during winter are hard.


Photography (left) courtesy of Hidden Bench; (right) courtesy of Keint-he Vineyards


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