Essex County wineries toast to perfect conditions and increased sales

Essex County vineyards are reporting a record year, as American wines are left off the LCBO shelves. CTV Windsor’s Robert Lothian has more.

Ripe for the picking, wine producers across Windsor-Essex are reporting record seasons in the fields – and at their checkouts.

Dry conditions throughout the summer, and Ontario’s changing policy that includes the boycott of U.S. wines and spirits, has winemakers toasting to a bountiful year.

At Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery in Harrow, it’s the tail end of their harvesting season with only a few weeks of picking grapes left.

“We’re coming to the close of harvest. It’s been a hot and heavy one. We’ve pulled in a lot more grapes than we ever have before,” said Steve Mitchell, the president of Sprucewood.

A worrying start to the year, spurred by cold temperatures in May, was quickly forgotten due to a consistently hot summer that continued into the fall.

“I think our red wines are going to be looking really ripe, and because of the dryness that we’ve had, also nice and intense. So I think it’s going to be a really good year for winemaking here,” Mitchell noted.

On top of growth in the vineyard, Mitchell added that new direction in provincial policies has allowed them to further expand their customer base.

In addition to less competition from U.S. wines, the provincial government introduced new policies aimed at aiding wine production.

According to the LCBO, sales of Ontario VQA wines – which are made entirely from local grapes – are up 67 per cent year over year, while red wines have jumped 80 per cent.

“Most years, when we have a good year, you might see 4 or 5 per cent growth. That would be a solid growth year. It’s 70 per cent, so it’s actually gone bonkers,” Mitchell said.

Further east at Colchester Ridge Estate Winery (CREW), owner Bernie Gorski told CTV News it’s been a similarly fruitful season.

Gorski noted sales patterns are “in a state of flux” because the changes are recent, and it’s too soon to say how big the increase has been this year.

“[Ontario] had to make up the shortfall, so they started to promote our wines, and the government is absolutely great to work with.

Rows of grapes have been whittled down to two varieties left to pick this year at CREW.

A particularly dry summer, while potentially damaging to other crops, has been advantageous for CREW’s grape growers.

“When we have excessive rains and things of this nature, the berries swell up. They take on all the moisture, and that waters down the sugars that are available in the grapes. So, the drier it is, the sweeter our grapes,” Gorski said. “The sweeter the grapes, the better wine that we can produce.”

When asked about the impact of the lack of U.S. wines on shelves, Gorski said it’s “absolutely” opening more Ontarians to try locally grown wines such as those in Essex County.

“I’ve had a lot of people that have been drinking my wine and saying, ‘Oh my God, this is as good as, you know, world quality,’ so we’re pleased with that,” Gorski said.

While there remains significant unpredictability in how provincial policy could change ahead of the next season, both Gorski and Mitchell are confident new customers are here to stay.