Saturday, January 24, 2009

The Winter Vineyard

This winter has been one of the few winters where we have maintained snowcover on the ground. This is a good insulator for both the roots and the graft union of the plant.
Winter is an important season for grapevines. During the winter months, the grapevines are in a deep dormancy caused by internal factors and later environmental factors. Dormancy is basically a rest period for the plant following the work it has had to do to produce fruit during the growing season.
When we leave the fruit for icewine, the vine does not go into a true dormancy. It only goes into dormancy after the fruit has been removed.
We show a photo of our horses feeding on hay. We are finding that leftover alfalfa in the hay is consumed by rabbits. We don’t mind this as it keeps the rabbits from feeding on the tender bark of the grapevines.
Also shown is the vineyard in the background. The white covering on part of it is netting on the Cabernet icewine grapes. These were harvested this past December. The netting will be removed once the snow is melted.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Erie Shore Wine Moves to LCBO Shelves

We reprint the following from
What's Cooking
by Ted Whipp, Windsor Star
Published: Wednesday, December 31, 2008.
“Just in time for its seventh anniversary, Erie Shore Vineyard recently released another vintage red wine, the first of five new vintages on their way.
The 2007 VQA Baco Noir has received early rave reviews, the winery reports, and this wine is now available for $12.95 at seven area LCBO stores. They are located at:
Roundhouse Centre, 3165 Howard Ave.; 1320 Walker Road at Ottawa; 7201 Tecumseh Rd. E. at Parkway Plaza; Belle River; Wheatley; Harrow and Amherstburg.
Erie Shore is among the few of the 13 area wineries with products available at LCBO stores.
Erie Shore started selling its first wine, a 2006 Cabernet Franc, in local LCBO stores a year ago and has up to four available in city and county stores, with several supplying its icewine….”
“They're only available at the winery store and LCBO stores in this area, not elsewhere in the retail chain. As for the new Baco, the wine ages well in a cellar and pairs well with grilled or roasted red meats, and pizza, tomato-based pastas, cheeses and dark chocolate. “

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Icewine Harvest 2008

We hope you enjoy this new blog from us at Erie Shore Vineyard. We hope to post updates on what's happening in the vineyard and the winery.

We finished our Icewine harvest right before Christmas 2008. It was on the two coldest days of December, and we were fortunate to have twelve who helped harvest our Cabernet icewine crop.
The temperature was on average -13 C (8.6F) and even colder with the good windchill. The Cabernet 2008 is of beautiful quality, and we can’t wait to release it when it’s ready.
Pictured are the 2008 Cabernet Ice wine grapes, immediately before picking. The nets in the background are required only to attempt to control bird damage. This variety must be snipped to harvest.
As a note, the weather was cold enough that we could pick during the day. The grapes can thaw on one side by the sun if it’s below –10 C (14F) . For this reason we most often harvest at night.