Researchers with Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI)
recently received more than $2.4 million in cash and in-kind support for projects that aim to
strengthen Canada’s grape and wine industry.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Grapevine Certification Network
(CGCN) announced the funding Friday, March 1 for three projects by CCOVI researchers Debbie
Inglis, Wendy McFadden-Smith and Jim Willwerth through AAFC’s and CGCN’s $10.9-million
Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) AgriScience Cluster.
“This funding will allow researchers out of CCOVI to work side by side with industry partners to
overcome challenges threatening the grape and wine industry across Canada in areas of
grapevine cold damage, trunk diseases and wine production to ensure the sector remains
sustainable and competitive as it adapts to climate change,” says Inglis, who is CCOVI’s
Director.
Brock’s funding comes from AAFC plus support from industry partners with the CGCN.
“CGCN is thrilled to continue working with CCOVI on research initiatives that improve our
sector’s sustainability and competitiveness,” says CGCN Executive Director Darien Temprile
(BBA '20). “The work that CCOVI is conducting under the Cluster will work towards finding
solutions and help inform future decisions as our industry works to navigate climate change.”
This Cluster funding provided by AAFC is being matched by industry funds through Ontario
Grape and Wine Research Incorporated (OGWRI) and various in-kind partners. This research is
possible thanks to the long-standing strong and collaborative relationship between CGCN,
CCOVI and OGWRI, says Temprile.
Inglis’s project, “Wine flavour modification through non-traditional yeasts, oenological treatments
and taint remediation,” studies how oenological tools can be used to help the industry overcome
threats from climate change that can negatively impact fruit quality.
Those tools include non-traditional yeast strains that alter and improve the aroma and flavour in
wine, and oenological additives and fermentation temperature that allow yeast to create flavours
that further enhance wine character, she says.
Her team’s research focuses on two areas of concern: managing Botrytis and sour rot-infected
fruit to overcome wine quality issues and improving the aromatic profile and quality of Vidal table
wine to diversify the use of Vidal beyond Icewine.
“Results from this program are anticipated to produce wines that are price competitive but with
added quality, providing resilience to the sector in dealing with challenges from erratic weather
events and ensuring continued economic growth of not only the $5.5-billion industry in Ontario
but also the $11.5-billion industry across Canada,” says Inglis.
McFadden-Smith, Adjunct Professor of Biological Sciences and CCOVI Professional Affiliate, is
leading a team on the project “Grapevine trunk disease: an under-rated threat to the Ontario
grape industry?”
Grapevine trunk diseases (GTD) are caused by several fungal pathogens that infect vine trunks.
Petri and Black-foot diseases destroy young vineyards, while Esca, Eutypa, Phomopsis and
Botryosphaeria dieback diseases cause overall decline and vine death in mature vineyards.
McFadden-Smith and her team are studying the prevalence and impact of GTD in Ontario
vineyards and how these diseases occur with a view to optimizing and developing methods to
prevent and minimize infections.
“Most of the research on GTD has been done in areas where environmental conditions are very
different from Ontario,” says McFadden-Smith. “This project will determine the species of
pathogens present and provide understanding of their biology, particularly the time when
infection occurs, so that growers can make the best decisions regarding pruning time, which in
turn will optimize vineyard longevity.”
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Jim Willwerth is heading the project “Selection of
superior grapevine material using traditional field evaluations and genomic/metabolic signatures
for cold resilience.”
Freeze injury is a huge threat to the grape and wine industry, resulting in “significant fruit
shortages and economic losses across the entire value chain from one single cold event,” says
Willwerth.
He and his team are identifying, and developing, superior grapevine material that will increase
vines’ resilience to the cold and hence, improve their overall performance, research that will
support CGCN’s domestic clean plant program.
“New technological advances and innovative products produced through this funding will improve
the sustainability of the grape and wine sector in the face of climate change where erratic and
extreme temperature events can threaten vine health and crop production,” says Willwerth.
In addition to the funding for the three projects, SCAP’s AgriAssurance program will cover 50 per
cent of virus testing costs for members of CGCN’s Verification or Certification Programs. CCOVI
is the national testing centre for grapevine viruses for CGCN.
The $11.5-billion grape and wine industry is a major economic driver in Canada, with 45,245 full-
time employees with related wages of about $2.4 billion, according to a 2019 Wine Growers Canada report.