Niagara-on-the-Lake grape growers are cautiously optimistic about a fruitful season, as warmer temperatures approach.
Jim Willwerth, an assistant professor of biological science at Brock University, published findings back in March that found grapevines survived the winter season well and are well-positioned for a plentiful harvest season.
With warm weather coming and going over the last month, growers have been keeping a close eye on rapid temperature changes, which could cause harm to budding grapes.
In an expert advisory published by Brock University, staff highlighted Willwerth’s findings that while consistently cold winters benefit the vines, unseasonably warm daytime temperatures in early spring can be harmful, triggering vines to bud prematurely.
Willwerth gave The Lake Report the most recent update, saying things are still looking good — for now.
“The vines have had a nice, steady, pretty consistent winter and not a lot of huge fluctuations,” Willwerth said in an interview.
“They’re looking really good in terms of bud numbers.”
When growers would begin to get concerned is if temperatures this spring hit below -10 C, Willwerth said.
“We always have to be hesitant until we get past the danger of frost.”
A rapid change in the other direction isn’t ideal either, he said.
“If it warms up really quickly, those vines are going to lose their hardiness really quickly as well,” Willwerth said.
Debbie Zimmerman, CEO of the Ontario Grape Growers, shared similar feelings, saying this year looks set for a “normal” harvest season.
“This year, to this point, without a major weather event, things look pretty normal,” she said.
There is, however, always the possibility of a spring frost, of which Zimmerman is cautious.
“And then, whatever Mother Nature throws at us for the rest of spring and summer and fall,” she said.
Compared to this time last year, Zimmerman said vines are looking more stable since they suffered from a wet spring and a cold snap during the 2024 season.
“I’ll put it this way, it’s very comparable to a normal year at this point,” she said.
The Ontario Grape Growers are also doing regular bud testing to forecast the survivability of the grapes and numbers look good, Zimmerman said.
“The numbers [from bud testing] are usually pretty good, very accurate and something that most of the researchers count on.”
Matthias Oppenlaender, chair of the Ontario Grape Growers and a grape grower himself, said winter was steady and he too is cautious looking forward.
“We still have spring to concern about, but with this cool weather we should be alright,” he said.
“But who knows, it all depends.”
Oppenlaender said there may have been a night or two with extremely low temperatures.
“Some areas are saying there could be a little bit of damage, but overall we should be alright,” he said.
“We can’t really predict until we actually harvest.”
