Island vineyards OK after record-breaking heat wave
The recent, record-setting heat wave on Vancouver Island had winemakers and distillers paying careful attention to their grape crops – with a trio reporting no major negative effects.
In the Cowichan Valley, Enrico Winery says it was their staff who were most unhappy trying to avoid the heat under scorching temperatures that reached 42 degrees Celsius one day.
“Nowhere in the vineyard did we have so much leaf burn that the vines can’t recover,” says winemaker Daniel Cosman.
In fact, the winery says a cooler start to the season had put them behind and the heatwave caught them up.
“So now we’re even with an average year, if not a little bit better,” says Cosman.
While the heat hasn’t been an issue for the winery, dryness has. Enrico is experiencing “end-of-August water deficits” meaning its irrigation system is working full blast.
“We have no choice,” Cosman says.
Over on the Saanich Peninsula, Church and State Wines is growing grapes for three bubbly wines. While the plants are relatively resistant to heat, the head winemaker says cooler temperatures ranging from the 20s to 30s C are best.
“If you go too far on the heat, the acidity of the berries will go down and for us, for the sparkling, (that) is not a good thing,” says head winemaker Arnaud Thierry.
So far, Church and State, too, is among the vineyards coming out of the heat wave without any major damage.
“We don’t have so much leaves dry or berries dry, so for the moment, no big damage, no big problem,” says Thierry.
Devine Distillery has stopped producing wine, instead shifting to using its vineyard for brandy. To keep its fruit trees happy, distillers have avoided too much pruning – leaving a canopy to protect the grapes.
That said, one of the property’s grain fields for other spirits like gin and whiskey is seeing stunted growth, which could affect production later this year.
“On the grain, I think we’ll probably see some impact on that in terms of a little less yield,” says Kevin Titcomb.
How much less remains to be seen and depends on the rest of the growing season: the summer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.