What’s Growing in Prince Edward County? – The Grapevine Growth Cycle
Finally – some sunshine to brighten our days, invite our guests out to the patio and keep our vine growth strong!
This summer has provided a fantastic growth season for our grapevines and we are thrilled to continue watching our vineyards thrive as we near the upcoming harvest season!
Do you know how the grapevine growth process works?
Unless you’re a wine enthusiast who spends just as much time researching their wine choices as they do enjoying them, this process is probably quite foreign. For our team, however, the proper growth of our vineyards is both a passion and commitment. Not only because it provides our incredible community with delicious wine, but also because we truly appreciate the unique process!
In Prince Edward County, growing your own grapes is not an easy feat. In fact, compared to Ontario’s well known wine region in Niagara it is quite different and it can be quite challenging… but with the sunlight, space to grow and support systems we have in place (ie. our dedicated vineyard maintenance team), the results are beautiful – and scrumptious!
Growing Grapevines in Prince Edward County, Ontario
Did you know that Ontario is actually the ideal location for grapevine growth in Canada? We are located in the north region within what is known as the world’s wine belt (between 41° – 44°N).
Our Prince Edward County climate conditions define viticulture as a Cool Climate Viticulture region. It is characterizes as a vine growing area with cooler temperatures in the summer and freezing temperatures during the winter. The grapevines that thrive in this climate are the ones that ripe earlier, and expect to find more white varieties and aromatic lighter reds.
In Prince Edward County, grapevines actually benefit from the temperature control provided by Lake Ontario. The cooling winds from the lake actually help cool off the land and provide an optimal growing climate for grapes to develop their flavours.
It’s no wonder there is now quite the growing selection of Prince Edward County Wineries in the area today! In a winemaker’s eyes – this land is bounding with opportunity! Simply ask the owners of our now 42 PEC wineries in the area!
The Grapevine Growth Cycle in July
Once the grapevine grafted plants have been planted – it’s time to grow! Our Grape vines are grown from cuttings of grape stock and then spliced onto North American root stock to give them a greater resistance to phylloxera and other regional diseases
We’ve been documenting our entire grapevine growth process since May and it’s been incredible to watch the steady progression from one month to the next!
In our May Blog, we talked about de-hilling the buried vines and tying them to the trellis wires.
In our June Blog, we talked all about the management of our vines throughout the summer months – including consistent pruning and weeding.
In our now July Blog, we’re talking about controlling excess growth in our grapevines.
July also provides our wine crews with time to prepare the winery for the harvest to come, after all we have around 6 weeks until harvest begins! However, with the continued weeding, pruning and fruit thinning – we still spend quite a bit of time out in the vineyard!
Why Limit Growth and Yield In Your Vineyard?
Although it seems counterintuitive to physically limit the amount of growth you have on a grapevine, it’s actually quite necessary.
The process of fruit thinning consists of removing green clusters from each grapevines before they ripen with the objective of reducing the yield per acreage. This practice has a positive impact on the quality of the grapes.
August Is Coming!
As we near the end of July, our wine crew is also preparing for the start of August.
Did you know that all grapes are green until mid-August? As the grapes go through their final stage of maturation, they begin to transform in colour! This incredible process is called veraison.
During veraison, the acidity levels of the grapes begin to decrease and there is an increase in natural sugar levels – resulting in the yummy grapes you taste in our Hillier Creek Wines!
What Happens During Veraison:
- Change in grape colour
- Decrease in acidity levels
- Increase in natural sugar levels
- Increase in grape size
- Aroma and flavour development
Visit Hillier Creek Winery This Summer – PATIO IS OPEN!
Hillier Creek Winery and Tasting Room are now open seven day a week – come see the vine growth in action – please remember to wear a mask inside and practice social distancing.
Our wood fired pizza oven is also open seven days a week from (open from Wednesday to Sunday,) 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
See you in the vineyard!
