Grapes to Wine, December 01, 2013

PM # 41262017

WINTER

CHAMPAGNE The World of

Niagara Wine Winter safety activities

An

Exit Strategy THat’s Got Legs

2013

What’s being said…

Adam Hutchens,

Winter 2013

CPA, CA, BDO, Cash Is King, Page 11

“Being a proprietor of a winery can be a very rewarding venture, both personally and financially.”

Geoff McIntyre,

CA, MNP LLP. An Exit Strategy That’s Got Legs, Page 13

“So why is the question of farming versus non-farming important when planning for succession?”

Bill George,

Chair, Grape Growers of Ontario, Grape King, Page 18

“We are thrilled to have Wes serve as the 2013 Grape King and be the ambassador for Ontario’s grape growing industry,”

Belinda Kemp,

CCOVI’s Senior Scientist in Oenology, Tracking Tannins, Page 16

“Ensuring winemakers have the initial information at the beginning of the winemaking process is very important.”

Carol Reid,

Regional Safety Consultant, FARSHA, BC Winter Safety Activities, Page 22

“Many times when employers think of a safety program, paperwork comes to mind.”

Page 2 Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013

www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Editors Note

Published Quarterly March, June, September and December by 2250 Camrose Street, Penticton, BC V2A 8R1

Tel. 250-492-6036 Fax 250-492-9843 email: editor@cdngrapes2wine.com www.cdngrapes2wine.com Sharing dinner withSouth African Editor Gillian Hyslop.

On November 11 I flew to Milan, Italy to attend the 25th year of SIMEI at the Fiera Milano RHO. The most important two-yearly exhibition for wine-making and bottling machinery. It is a huge show and I must say very interesting. Everyone that is involved in any way with the wine industry should try and attend at least once.

With 600 exhibitors, including 140 foreign exhibitors, approx. 50,000 visitors were expected. There is a strong international reach of this event that is a unique platform for debate and a reference point for people and businesses in the wine sector, now in its 25th year.

It was great bumping into a few wine friends from home, including the Harkers’ from Rustic Roots Winery whom I flew the first leg of the journey with – they were on their way to the Outstanding Young Farmer Awards in Regina. Next I bumped into Norm & Janis from Artus Bottling. I have never seen so many complete bottling lines all in one building! Norm was looking at some new innovations from GAI. I also had the chance to attend the opening gala dinner that was held at the National Museum of Science and Technology “Leonardo da Vinci” where, in addition to tasting a fine selection of wines and cuisine we admired the largest collection in the world of machine models manufactured from drawings by Leonardo. I sat with other wine and food journalist from around the world. Did you know that Russia has three major food and drinks magazines? South Africa, Germany, India, New Zealand, Australia and of course Italy were all well represented by wonderful editors of which I was honoured to break bread, chat and exchange wine stories with.

Amcor Flexibles won the prize for “New Technology” at the coveted SIMEI ENOVITIS Innovation Challenge. They were presented the award during the opening ceremonies on Tuesday the 11th. They won the prize for Stelvin® Inside, a range of four liners for wine. Each of the four new liners has a different OTR (Oxygen Transmission Rate) target. The Stelvin range doubles winemaker’s OTR choice giving them far more tools to help craft and perfect their wine.

What a great experience. I will be bringing you more stories over the spring from the show.

Wishing you all a warm, bright and healthy winter. Have a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year and I’ll have another issue for you in the spring!

- Tari Di Bello

✁

Subscribe today!

Name _________________________________ address________________________________ ph. ___________________________________ For the four quarterly issues; $10 in Canada.

(United States $15 U.S., International $25 Can.)

✁

Send your cheque with this cutout to: Canadian Grapes to Wine, 2250 Camrose Street, Penticton, BC V2A 8R1

Publisher: Don Kendall Managing Editor and Director of Sales: Tari Di Bello Creative Services Manager: Kirk Myltoft Circulation Manager: Sue Kovacs Canadian Grapes to Wine articles, columns, pictures and illustrations are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any other publication without the expressed written consent of the Publisher. Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of information received and printed in Canadian Grapes to Wine, we cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions, E&OE.

ISSN 1188 - 1348 Publications Mail Registration No. 41262017

ON THE COVER A photo of a winter vineyard

by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye is a veteran photographer, world traveller, and writer and business marketer. She provides quality corporate and personal photo services and she is currently applying her deep knowledge of oenology and the Okanagan valley to a 3-year project. In collaboration CHAMPAGN with Canada’s leading E THE World wine writer, a photobook of NiAGArA W iNE about the 4 seasons of the WiNTEr sA fETy ACTiviTi Es Okanagan wine industry AN ExiT sT rATEGy THAT ’s GoT lEGs will be published in 2014. Judy is a Getty Images featured photographer.

PM # 4126 2017

WINT ER

2013

Our publication at SIMEI international press booth, Milan, Italy. www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013 Page 3

Hot Topic Mark Hicken Mark Hicken is a Vancouver lawyer providing a full range of legal services to the wine industry through his own law practice, Vintage Law Group, located in Vancouver, BC. Mark believes that effective legal advice must be provided in the context of a client’s business objectives. This is critical in the Canadian wine industry where regulatory structures affect every aspect of the business from conception to consumption.

EU-CANADA TRADE DEAL UNLIKELY TO AFFECT BC WINE INDUSTRY As has been widely reported in the mainstream media,

Canada and the EU have reached agreement in principle for a free trade deal known as the Comprehensive Economic & Trade Agreement (more commonly referred to as CETA).

Various stories have speculated on the effects of CETA upon the Canadian wine industry. It is not possible to comment with certainty upon any effects until such time as the actual text of the agreement is publicly available.

However, it has become apparent from briefing notes, that it is unlikely that CETA will have any significant effect upon the BC wine industry. As has been previously reported, CETA does away with all tariffs on wine between Canada and the EU (in both directions). In practice and for the Canadian market, this means the removal of a very small (and basically insignificant) tariff that is currently applied to European wines

entering Canada. It also requires some changes to the way that the LCBO (Ontario’s liquor board) applies “cost of service” fees to wine sold in that province. However, it preserves the existing exclusive distribution channels for domestic wine in certain private retail stores (in BC, these are the VQA stores) and it preserves the ability of wineries to sell from their own tasting rooms (direct delivery). As a result, there appear to be very few effects on the BC wine industry. CETA may, in fact, provide benefits to BC wineries that use European products in their manufacturing processes as any Canadian tariffs on those products will be removed.

To that end, Premier Wynne may wish to reconsider her LCBO scripted anti-consumer stance and side instead with the wishes of Ontario wine consumers and voters.

The only electronic pruning tool in the world with an interchangeable cutting head.

Kit

New LCD Display

Light

Medium

Maxi

- Battery level display.

- Work intensity display.

- Cut counter.

- Electronic blade positioning adjustment.

- Electronic adjustment of half aperture.

Vest

Specially adapted solutions for high h pruning work.

The F3010 can be tted with a range of xed ed and telescopic extension poles ranging from m 1.20m to 3.5m. giving a cutting reach of up to 5 m. above ground. The pruning shear is conntrolled by a micro switch housed in a sliding ng handle on the carbon bre tube.

Electric Saw Mobile Trigger System

Tying Machine

OKANAGAN

PO Box 25026 Mission Park PO BC VITICULTURE Kelowna, P: (250) 762-9845 SERVICES INC. F: (250) 762-9846 British Columbia C: (250) 878-3656 fwhitehead@shaw.ca Page 4 Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013

www.infaco.com www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Trade Show/Conference

SUSTAINABLE VITICULTURE AND WINE PRODUCTION:

STEPS AHEAD TOWARD A GLOBAL AND LOCAL CROSS-FERTILIZATION Tari attended this years SIMEI conference and trade show in Milan, Italy.

This is an overview of one of the talks she attended.

“The theme is very timely and important because it involves an industry of great impact for the economy and hence urgently needs to be standardised at an international level” - said Domenico Zonin, Chairman of Unione Italiana Vini, organiser of SIMEI and ENOVITIS, in his introductory speech.

Paolo De Castro - Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development in the European Parliament – present at the beginning of the Conference reiterated the importance of sustainability at a European level.

“This is in fact the key word of the Common Agricultural Policy, the prime objective of which is to preserve and maintain natural resources.”

In the course of the two days, interesting discussions took place that explored the theme of sustainability in the vineyard and the cellar from all points of view, highlighting the critical issues and opportunities in the sector. Taking part in the first session on Tuesday, which focused on the assessment of the level of sustainability that each company believes it has achieved and the implementation of sustainability programmes, were Federico Castellucci, Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin and Aurora Abad - Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins – who highlighted that in many countries there are interesting “sustainable” programmes, such as Tergeo, the all-Italian project - Steve Smit - owner of Constellation Wines, a leading California winery and promoter of the concept Save and Grow - which sees saving and preserving as the key to growth and development - and Alison Hodder - FAO – the Food and Agriculture Organization.

On the second day and for the entire day, the work sessions focused on the reliability of indicators measuring sustainability, the various parties in communication concerning sustainability and the opportunities to increase sustainability.

An important speech was made by Joël Rochard, Chairman of the Institut de la Vigne et du Vin France, who discussed the current era of profound crisis in finding raw materials, which makes it necessary to control and monitor the use of water.

Julien Blanc of Carbone4 France introduced a measuring tool with which it is possible to calculate the CO2 footprint and thus provide the necessary and proper knowledge for consumers, making it possible to adopt improvement measures with the aim of increasing their awareness and keeping them informed.

Worthy of note too are the speeches made by experts of the Tergeo Scientific Committee, Eugenio Pomarici and Osvaldo Failla, and Nicholas Barberani representing Assoenologi.

Allison Jordan, Wine Institute, USA – commented on this important event as follows -”Meeting at the Conference was a unique experience and is the only way to advance the concept of sustainability. We must discuss things continuously and make communication to companies very simple and direct, this is what companies are asking for, more information, and more accessible information. The “sustainability” model is feasible, thanks also to SIMEI that has made this unique event possible. “ Chris Savage, International Federation of Wine and Spirits (FIVS) confirmed “The unique experience of this event makes us understand that talking about sustainability is no longer just a challenge. My keyword is “communication.”

We are ready to give companies’ important information, a vision that will change the approach to sustainability in the wine world. “ Ettore Capri, Chairman of the Steering Committee, director of OPERA, Centre for Research on Sustainability in Agriculture, also supports the value of this first international conference on sustainability that has brought together the most important representatives of associations, agencies and ministries active in world of sustainability. “An event that we will re-present at Expo 2015, an event that is unique in its kind and one that has responded to requests from our companies. An important document will come out of these days, future guidelines for international sustainability. Our thanks go to the Italian Wine Union that brought the most important players in global sustainability together.”

In conclusion, much time was given to the concept of communication, meant as an improvement of how information is conveyed, which occurs only through a well-designed quality proposal and a wise use of social networks that facilitates faster interaction with consumers.

The Unione Italiana Vini, has strongly supported this important and authoritative platform for sharing information and discussion, intended and designed as a defining moment of the current state of sustainability in the wine sector and the prospects for the future, turning it into a springboard for new proposals and a table for the definition of a common protocol with practices and measures to be implemented transversely across the world.

In the afternoon, Sakkie Pretorius from the Macquirie University of Australia, an expert in the wine sector, addressed the important problem of the climate, insisting on the need to contain energy costs (only 70% is used in refrigeration) and an overall change for the protection of the environmental capital.

Chris Savage from the International Federation of Wine Spirits introduced the concept of standardisation of sustainability indicators using as a business case collaboration between the three elements of environment-society-economy.

Jeremy Dyson of Crop Protection Industry EU put forward a series of challenges to wineries to reduce water consumption and energy in running their businesses and the use of pesticides and herbicides to help reduce pollution as well as benefit biodiversity. The desired result is to achieve bidirectional communication between the industry and environmental policy.

Daniele Tirelli from the IULM in Milan outlined the scenario in the US where in some mass distribution chains such as BEVMO, JUNGLE JIM and WHOLEFOOD, sustainable wines are sold, that is wines produced according to processes of environmental sustainability. He urged the European producers, in particular the Italians, to distribute their products on this market.

www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Providing bottling for runs ranging from a few Hundred cases to the t h o u s a n d s a t y o u r w i n e r y.

R R 1 , S 1 1 , C 6 0 , N a r a m a t a , B . C . , V 0 H 1 N 0 p . 2 5 0 . 4 9 0 . 5 5 8 3 f . 2 5 0 . 4 9 6 . 5 5 0 5 e . I n f o r m a t i o n @ a r t u s b o t t l i n g . c o m Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013 Page 5

Winemaking Scott Labs Introduces Velcorin This past June, Health Canada approved the use of Velcorin® (dimethyldicarbonate/ DMDC), a microbial control agent produced by LANXESS for use in the production of wine within Canada.

VELCORIN technology has been used within the US Wine industry since 1988 and is very effective at low dosages against a broad range of yeast, bacteria and molds. Unlike many other oenological practices though, VELCORIN does not affect wine taste, bouquet or colour.

Applications:

You would have to be

• To help prevent refermentation in finished wines: Wines containing residual sugar are susceptible to fermentation in the bottle, which can lead to haze, off-odors, off-flavors and effervescence. Adding VELCORIN to wine during bottling can help prevent refermentation. Also, the product VELCORIN can be used to replace or decrease sorbate, which is sometimes used in wines containing residual sugar.

• To control spoilage yeast such as Brettanomyces (especially in unfiltered or moderately filtered wines): Brettanomyces is able to metabolize sugars, including cellobiose from toasted barrels, leading to the evolution of 4-ethylphenol and other undesirable sensory attributes. VELCORIN is very effective against Brettanomyces.

• To decrease the amount of sulfur dioxide used in wines:Sulfur dioxide, used in combination with VELCORIN technology, has been shown to achieve microbial stability at lower overall sulfur dioxide levels.

• To reduce warehouse holding time in early-to-market wines: VELCORIN technology can be used to decrease the amount of sulfur dioxide and/or decrease the degree of filtration required. Such wines undergo speedier sulfur dioxide equilibration and can be released earlier.

• To prevent refermentation in wines for bulk transport: Recently, certain European countries and companies have moved to minimize or eliminate the use of sorbate in wines. VELCORIN, a microbial control agent, has been used in lieu of sorbate, at the point of bulk container filling to prevent refermentation of wines containing residual sugar.

• To replace hot filling process and tunnel pasteurization: Microbiologic sensitive wines may be bottled by temperature up to 150°F to prevent refermentation or products filled in cans may be pasteurized which stresses the product and affects its properties whereas VELCORIN is added at usual cellar temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How does VELCORIN work?

VELCORIN controls microorganisms by entering the cell and inactivating some of the key enzymes required for cell function. Specifically, VELCORIN is thought to react with the histidyl residues of proteins, including those involved in the active site of many enzymes. Susceptible enzymes are consequently rendered functionless due to blockage of the active site and/or conformational changes in structure. Excess VELCORIN then completely hydrolyzes in the presence of water.

What factors determine VELCORIN effectiveness?

The effectiveness of VELCORIN technology depends on microbial type, microbial load and other factors. At low doses, VELCORIN is very effective against yeast. At greater doses, VELCORIN is also effective against bacteria and certain fungi. Pre-treatment of wine must reduces the microbial load to less than 500 microorganisms/mL. That said, VELCORIN is not a replacement for good sanitation practices.

How much VELCORIN can I use in my wine?

Health Canada permits up to 200 ppm total of VELCORIN to be used in wine, dealcoholized wine and low-alcohol wine.

to order tanks from any other company...

• Our tanks are built in Canada by a local family owned business.

• We have 35 Years of tank fabricating experience.

• We plan on being here another 35 years.

• We deliver our tanks and help set in place at your location.

• We do tank modifications, repairs & on-site work.

• We have the largest tank rental fleet available.

• We have used tanks in stock & purchase used tanks.

Early Order

Special

If your Custom Tank order is placed between

Jan 1st - April 30th, 2014

Are there any limits in respect to product packaging?

Velcorin can be used for filling into standard packaging such as glass, PET, cans, bag-in-box or pouches, as well as during production, temporary storage or transport in a container.

we will include your valve package ($500 value)

Why do I have to use an approved dosing system?

Due to the unique physical properties of VELCORIN and to help assure safe handling, LANXESS Corp. requires the use of VELCORIN DT dosing machines. VELCORIN is hydrophobic and solidifies at 17°C(63°F). The dosing machines are engineered expressly for VELCORIN (to prevent solidification and aid in VELCORIN solubility. Temperature controls, specific safety features and a special metering system, are also incorporated into the design.

Includes TC butterfly drain valve, TC butterfly racking valve, TC sample valve, TC vent valve, thermometer, and all clamps and seals.

I don’t have a VELCORIN-dosing machine. How can I use VELCORIN technology to treat my wine?

Mobile VELCORIN-dosing service has proven very popular within the United States. Currently several businesses have expressed an interest in the mobile dosing of VELCORIN within Canada. Please call our office (800-797-2688) to learn more about mobile dosing within your region.

Is VELCORIN-treated wine approved in other countries?

DMDC is approved by the codex alimentarious as a processing aid for wine as well as a recognized oenological practice by OIV (International Organization of Vines and Wine). VELCORIN approval is product and country specific. Of the approximately 60 countries that currently allow VELCORIN product treatment for wine include: United States, Argentina, Australia, Chile, Mexico, European Union member states, Russia, New Zealand and South Africa. Scott Laboratories is the exclusive distributor of VELCORIN within Canada’s wine industry. Please contact your Scott Laboratories Sales Representative, or our office at 1-800-797-2688 to learn more about the benefits of VELCORIN. Page 6 Canadian Grapes to Wine •FallWinter 2012 2013

RIPLEY STAINLESS LTD. Quality tanks that shine

ph : 250-494-9310 fax: 250-494-8878

www.ripleystainless.com e-mail: tanks@ripleystainless.com 9732 Lenzi St., Summerland, BC VOH 1Z2

www.cdngrapes2wine.com

S COT T L A B O R ATO R I E S YOUR TRUSTED SOUR CE FOR KNOWLEDGE, QUALIT Y AND I N N O V AT I O N S I N C E 1 9 6 9 .

950 Brock Road South, Unit 1 Pickering, ON L1W2A1 (905) 839-9463 (800) 797-2688 w w w. s co t t l a b s l td. co m info@scottlabsltd.com

P R O U D LY S E R V I N G T H E CANADIAN WINE INDUSTRY F R O M C O A S T T O C O A S T. B.C. Alan C. Marks

•

250-859-6466

Niagara Matthias Boss

•

905-380-7914

Quebec and Maritimes Pierre Pelletier • 514-894-8678

Winemaking Ask Justin

Justin Skladan is the Service and Installations Manager at cellar•tek.

After Crush Maintenance Q Hi Justin, with the 2013 harvest behind us now I want to put our crush pad equipment to rest for the season. Are there any specific recommendations you have for post-harvest maintenance?

A: Great question. The short answer is YES. Let’s go through it piece by piece starting with one of your most important assets on the crush pad.

The Press

This is your baby and likely one the most expensive pieces of equipment you own on your crush pad. Start off with a thorough washing inside and out of the drum, juice pans and external frame work. Go ahead and use your pressure washer for the external cleaning but be careful to avoid spraying near the control panel.

For cleaning inside the press, remember, NO PRESSURE WASHING THE MEMBRANE. Normal hose pressure and some old fashioned elbow grease with a soft brush and some simple soap are all that’s necessary for a good cleaning the membrane.

bar is removed, check the end bushing inside the destemmer on the non-drive end for damage and/or excess wear. If it looks damaged or worn out, order a new one right away so you’re not in a panic at the start of the next harvest. If there’s an electrical control panel and machine will be stored outside, wrap it with a plastic bag and tape it down for moisture protection.

Cheers!

Next we want to lubricate the bearings or bushings, door sliders and the drive chain. There should be a grease nipple on each end of the press to lube the main axial rotation points. Grab your grease gun and while the press is rotating, slowly apply at least one full squeeze of food grade grease over the course of one full rotation to ensure even distribution. Wipe up any excess grease that is pushed out of the bearing in the process. Next, with a rag or your hand, apply a thin layer of grease to the press door sliders to keep them moving easily. Last, you need to lubricate the drive chain. With the press still rotating, grab your can of food grade spray lubricant and spray a light coat of lube on to the full length of the chain.

If your press has a touch screen panel and you aren’t able to store the press indoors, open the control panel, unplug the connection to the touch screen and remove it to store indoors for the winter.

The extreme cold temperatures that we experience in the Canadian wine regions can wreak havoc on touch screens. They also tend to be rather expensive to replace and are usually NOT covered under the manufacturer’s warranty. Tape a plastic garbage bag over the control panel if it will be exposed to the elements until next harvest to protect the electronics from excess moisture.

The Destemmer

Next to your press, your destemmer/crusher is likely the next most important piece of equipment on your crushpad. Start by removing the beater bar and the cage and give the whole machine a thorough cleaning in and out with your pressure washer. Again, be sure to avoid the electronics and motor area with the water. If there’s a crushing unit integrated into your destemmer clean the rollers while they’re running to get all the grape debris out before it’s put away for storage. Next, find all the lube points and apply some food grade grease. If you’ve got the operator’s manual, they usually point these out. If you’re lucky enough to work with a Diemme destemmer, they conveniently locate most of the grease nipples in one location. Don’t forget about the main bearing/bushings for the beater bar and the bearings for the crusher rollers. While the beater Page Page88 Canadian Canadian Grapes Grapes to to Wine •Spring Winter 2013 2013

ian, e technic ic v r e s ’s k ote, “cellar•te alistic qu e r a s u ve d ladan, ga complete d n a e ic Justin Sk v r , iendly se l manner a n io s s prompt fr e f y pro s great!” t in a ver a c w je o it r p e th

.

Chris Campbell, Owner of Blasted Church Vineyards:

commenting on their recently completed refrigeration and ALBRIGI tank farm installation.

“So Much More Than Just The Answers”

cellar tek COMMERCIAL WINERY SUPPLY

Proudly Servicing the Canadian Wine & Beverage Industry

cellartek•com

West: 1•250•868•3186 East: 1•905•246•8316 Toll Free: 1•877•460•9463

www.cdngrapes2wine.com www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Winemaking

Supplier News

Ask Justin continued After Crush Maintenance

AEB & Cellar•Tek Bring E-Flot Trials to the Okanagan

continued

The Must Pump Peristaltic If you’ve got a dedicated peristaltic must pump that you’re storing until next harvest, remove the side cover from the pump and using the off/on switch, rotate the rollers until one is not pinching the peristaltic hose. Remove this roller and then rotate the other roller until it is no longer pinching the hose. This will eliminate any permanent forming or kinking of the hose. Now unplug the pump and apply a very thin layer of food grade silicone grease with your hand to that portion of the peristaltic hose that makes contact with the rollers as they rotate during pumping action.

Store the removed roller and cover in a box with the pump so it’s easy to find & re-assemble next year. If you’ve got a peristaltic must pump with a removable hopper, go ahead and remove it and replace it with the fittings provided with the pump and now you’ve got an extra pump for the cellar until next harvest.

Eccentric Screw If you’re using a dedicated eccentric screw must pump, go ahead and pump some warm water through it for a few minutes to thoroughly clean the rotor and stator. Run the pump until no water is coming through and then give it a couple of sprays of food grade lube while its pumping to keep the rotor from sticking to the stator during storage. It will start up much easier next year.

Sorting Tables, Vibratory Tables and Inclined Conveyors

These should be pretty basic. Look for lube points on the pulley ends of the conveyors and linkages of the vibe tables.

If you noticed some belt slippage towards the end of harvest, especially on new conveyors, you can increase the tension on the belt by adjusting one of the pulley ends out a bit. Don’t forget to check your belt tracking at the same time to ensure it’s centered between the side frames of the conveyor. The tracking adjustment is usually accomplished with a tilting adjustment at one of the pulley ends. Make small adjustments for both the tension and tracking, as they tend to have a lot of effect with minimal adjustment.

Chillers, Portable and Fixed

As always, while you’re servicing the crushpad equipment it’s always a good idea to clean out the condensing fins on your chiller with some compressed air. This can easily be done 2-3 times per year to keep them running at their peak efficiencies.

In conclusion, it’s definitely worth spending the time and effort to properly store you valuable crushpad equipment. If the steps I’ve identified above are over your head mechanically, give me a call and we can schedule you in for a post-season maintenance. ~ Cheers, Justin Skladan. Justin can be reached by email at:

jskladan@cellartek.com or at the office 250-868-3186

In September, during the height of the 2013 white wine harvest, AEB’s Marco Bertaccini and colleague, Sean Shuck, came up from California on an E-FLOT demo tour. Along with cellar•tek’s Andy Shillington, the boys from AEB demonstrated their floatation technology at Hester Creek Estates and Gray Monk Estate Winery.

The flotation process is used on freshly pressed white must to speed up the separation of solids from the juice. Solids are typically separated by cold settling the fresh-pressed must for 24-48 hours in tanks with the winery’s refrigeration running at full blast, or if it’s really cold, by moving the tanks outside in freezing temperatures. The clear juice is then racked off the top of the solids which form a loose slurry at the bottom of the tank.

By contrast, in the flotation process, the must is combined at room temperature under pressure in the E-FLOT unit with a small dose of gelatin and nitrogen before being returned to the tank. The gelatin aids in the agglomeration of the solids and the nitrogen floats them to the top of the tank. The clarified juice is then racked off from under the floating solids. Depending on the volume of must treated, the whole process takes only a few hours.

Andy reported that the resulting amount of solids left behind after floatation was less than one third of the solids left behind when traditional cold settling was employed. On top of that, the separation process was condensed from a couple of days down to a few hours and with no power consumption for refrigeration required. Wineries in the US that have recently adopted the E-FLOT into their production have reported that the time savings gained with floatation has allowed them to add another turn on their fermentation tanks. In some cases this has resulted in up to 20% more production potential in fermentation. Combined with the energy savings by not utilizing refrigeration, the payback on the cost of the unit is as little as one season.

Marco commented that the technology is not new and is widely accepted in Europe but is just beginning to take hold in North America.

He reported that AEB has sold over 25 E-FLOT units in California this year after extensive demo trials during the previous harvest in 2012. The Okanagan trials were successful at demonstrating the benefits of floatation so we can expect to start seeing more Canadian wineries using this energy and time efficient technology in their white wine making protocols.

For more information on the E-FLOT technology or any of the AEB products simply contact cellar•tek at either of their branches in BC and Ontario.

www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Rob Summers winemaker Hester Creek Estate Winery Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013 Page 9

Winemaking

THE OENOLOGIST IN CANADA Wine in Canada is mainly produced in the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Québec. In 2010, Canada ranked at the 18th position in terms of wine producing countries with its 9600 hectares of vineyard and its production of approximately 50,5 millions litres of wine.

The production of wine is constantly increasing; the number of professionals in the wine industry increases as well.

Among these professionals, oenologists, Canadians and foreigners, work on various steps of the winemaking processes. Unfortunately, this profession is underestimated in Canada. Far from being simple wine chemists, oenologists are a source of knowledge and technical progress.

But, what exactly is an oenologist? We hope that the following article will help you find out.

An international recognition The “Union Internationale des Oenologues (UIOE)” is an international association that represents over 15 000 oenologists in 17 different countries.

This organization defines the oenologist as being a professional whose capacities are recognized by a university degree that allows him or her concurrently: 1) To participate into the conception, establishment, and management of vineyards.

2) To estimate the criteria of maturity and to decide on the most convenient moment for the harvest according to the expected level of maturity.

3) To estimate the quality criteria of raw material received in terms of composition and sanitary state and according to the desired end product.

4) To actively participate in site planning, choice of processes and technical equipment.

5) To master all the operations presiding over the transformations of the grape; 6) On the basis of the desired end product, to select, by estimating their ultimate consequences, the operations necessary for the winemaking, the assembly, the treatments, the aging, the packaging and the preservation.

7) To elaborate products according to recognized oenological practices stated in the code of the “Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du vin (OIV)”.

8) To carry out analysis (physical, chemical, microbiological and organoleptic) of the products at every step of the production until consumption.

9) To control the coherence of the interventions and the processes.

10) To interpret the analytical results according to the stage of elaboration and the destinations of the product.

11) To take care of all the processes and the controls relative to the management of the quality in respect of the national and international standards.

12) To insure the traceability of the product.

13) To guarantee the sanitary and food safety of the product.

14) To respect the environmental balance.

BRITISH COLUMBIA Frank Whitehead p. 250.762.9845 c. 250.878.3656 frank@vinetech.ca

Providing Canadian Grapevine Solutions Page 10 Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013

ONTARIO Wes Wiens, Tina Tourigny p. 905.984.4324 wes@vinetech.ca tina@vinetech.ca

15) To formulate recommendations in the field of marketing concerning the name and the display of the product during its introduction on the national and international markets.

16) To advise the various actors of the production on the marketing of vine products and to act usefully by their side.

17) To participate in the display and in the process of promoting the end product to the buyers and consumers.

18) To assume the analysis and the synthesis of all the data stemming from its multiple functions to exploit them wisely.

Becoming an oenologist Depending on the educational systems of each country concerned with winemaking, the oenologist title is generally obtained after a 3 to 5 years degree course.During their training, the oenology students will study viticulture, pathology of vines, winemaking legislation, oenology, fermentation, oenological mechanics and chemistry, tasting and so on.

According to the UIOE, the figure of the winemaker is legally recognised only in Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Argentina and Chile. It is in the process of becoming legally recognised by the governments of Brazil, Germany, Slovenia and Uruguay. Countries like Australia, South Africa and the United States of America have oenology programs in their universities according to established directives even though the title is not recognised at a national level.

In Canada, there is currently no institution delivering oenologist’s title.

However Brock University in Saint Catharines Ontario, has made important investments in teaching as well as in research and development through its Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute.

The Canadian Association of Oenologists Even if oenologist’s title is not currently recognized in Canada, Canadian and foreigner oenologists who obtained their oenology degree in an university in a country listed above, put their expertise for the benefit of the elaboration of recognized quality wines on both the national and international level. Founded in Montreal in 1984 and member of the UIOE since 1985, the Canadian Association of the Oenologists (ACOE) wants to be a link between the oenologists working on the Canadian ground.

To do so, the association settled itself several objectives: • T o contribute to the development of professionals working in the wine field.

• To provide accessibility of information with regards to present and future techniques to the largest possible number of people in the wine industry.

• To create the necessary conditions to ensure the use and effectiveness of various oenological techniques authorized by laws and regulations.

• To defend the honour and independence of the members it represents.

• To provide links of solidarity and communication between its members.

For more information, please contact: Association Canadienne des Oenologues/Canadian Association of Oenologists 7500, rue Tellier,Montréal, (Québec) Canada H1N 3W5 Tel: +1 514 254 6000 Fax: +1 514 864 2650 E-mail: info@acoe.ca http://acoe.ca/english/

If you own a 5 acre orchard or vineyard, consider your own winery.

Wine equipment for sale for a small upstart. - $19,750 Fermenting, storage and bottling materials. Also willing to transfer my license to you and educate and train you to get operational. We are retiring.

Hans W. Brus, OOM (Owner Operator Manager) of Brus’ Orchards and Winery.

email hans@brusorchards.com

ph 519-983-4493

www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Wine Business Adam Hutchens

Adam Hutchens, CPA, CA, currently works with BDO’s Financial Recovery Services department in Kelowna, BC and specializes in consumer and corporate debt restructuring.

Cash Is King

HOW TO MANAGE THE SLOW TIMES

Being a proprietor of a winery can be a very rewarding venture, both personally and financially. However, operating a winery is filled with many challenges such as high capital costs, ever changing technology and seasonal sales to name a few. The key to managing these obstacles is managing cash flow. As the old saying goes, cash is king and without it, businesses cannot survive.

Sure there are many credit facilities out there that will enable you to finance your operations but at the end of the day, you still need to be able to repay those loans. Whether it is a line of credit to help with the day to day bills or a secured loan to finance expansion, the only way to repay these is with cash.

How do you manage cash flow? It starts with a budget and needs to be an ongoing process and not just done once a year when you meet with your accountant. A budget is a tool to plan for a defined future period of time which may include sales volumes and revenues, costs and expenditures, assets, liabilities and cash flows. Your budget should help in the planning of actual operations and how various conditions might change your cash flow. Once you understand where you are financially, you will be able to plan with the foresight required in an ever changing market. It is also vital to remember to compare your actual results to your budget to ensure that the tool being used (in this case your budget) is the right one to do the job.

By consolidating your debts, you are usually able to repay the debt over a longer period of time thus reducing your monthly cash outflow. This method will enable you to take advantage of low interest rates from lenders especially when compared to your credit card, suppliers or Canada Revenue Agency.

• Take advantage of government grants and programs. There are a number of programs and grants available; meet with your accountant to understand them and to determine which and how they can benefit your business.

• Review your margins and expenses against the industry statistics. Many times you feel you are having a very successful year yet you are still behind the industry standard. By reviewing industry standards, you may be able to identify areas of your operation that can be adjusted to maximize margins and, ultimately, cash flow.

When assessing your operations and expenses, remember to ask yourself if you can afford this. We all know that financing is necessary in today’s world but you must always be able to afford the cost of borrowing. Do you have the cash coming in to afford this expense?

For help on budgeting, cash flows or other accounting and advisory needs, please contact your local BDO Canada LLP office or visit www.bdo.ca.

If you are in your first cycle of wine making, producing a budget may be a little more difficult as you will not have any historical data to rely on in terms of sales volumes or production costs. However, you should be able to predict your total production, capital and selling costs. Once you have a few years of sales, you can review your historical data and use this information to project for future periods of your budget. It is important that you estimate your sales based on the fact that the majority of sales will likely occur in the summer season when tourism is at its peak.

Planning for expenses may be a little more difficult as they usually fall within one of two categories; fixed or variable. Fixed expenses are those that are consistent and don’t fluctuate with production. Examples would be salaries, debt repayments and insurance. Variable expenses on the other hand vary with production and would include materials, production and farm labor costs and packaging supplies.

While preparing your budget may be the easy part, managing your cash flow is usually a little more difficult. You must ensure that you have enough cash to manage your expenses throughout the year and unfortunately, your peak revenue periods don’t usually match your peak expense periods due to the industry. This is where using your budget comes in. By budgeting your revenues and expenses on a monthly basis (or more frequently if needed), you will be able to adequately plan for and account for expenses that will occur outside of your peak revenue periods. For example, when revenues are at their peak, your budget should account for grape harvesting expenses that will occur later that year when revenues are down. This will help ensure that you have enough cash in the bank to pay your expenses as they become due.

Other methods to help with your cash flow include the following: • Consider leasing equipment as opposed to buying equipment.

Leasing usually requires a lower monthly payment as compared to the principal and interest payments that would be required under a purchase.

• Consolidate your debts to help reduce monthly cash outflows. www.cdngrapes2wine.com

BDO HELPS BUSINESSES AGE TO PERFECTION. Like winemaking, business often requires mastering the right skills.

Our trained professionals work with organizations like yours to find the rich balance you need to grow.

Whether it's accounting and auditing, or tax planning and financial advice, we can help you uncork your potential and taste success.

Assurance | Accounting | Taxation | Advisory Services Kelowna | Penticton | Vernon | Salmon Arm | Kamloops 800 993 3313 www.bdo.ca/wineries BDO Canada LLP, a Canadian limited liability partnership, is a member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms. BDO is the brand name for the BDO network and for each of the BDO Member Firms.

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013 Page 11

Wine Business

BC Wines available in hong kong The British Columbia Wine Institute (BCWI) announced in November, a strategic partnership with Cuvées in Hong Kong that make the Wines of British Columbia more accessible than ever to consumers in that market.

Managing Director Joseph Luk and wine journalist Rebecca Leung on a 4-day tour of the Okanagan, which resulted in two additional wineries joining the project and several new product listings for the site launch this fall.

“Hong Kong is earning a reputation for its savvy, high-end wine consumers,” remarks BCWI President Miles Prodan. “For years, international visitors have been asking where they can find our premium BC VQA wines at home and, until now, the options have been very limited. Cuvées stocks 23 different BC VQA wines from seven top BC wineries so consumers will have some choice when it comes to the Wines of Hong Kong British Columbia, either online or on the wine list at several premiere Hong Kong restaurants.”

“We have added a Hong Kong office to British Columbia’s international trade and investment network, and our work with the British Columbia Wine Institute allows us to promote our wines and our wineries in this priority market,” said Teresa Wat, Minister of International Trade and Minister Responsible for the Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism. “Hong Kong is a gateway to Asia’s wine markets, especially China’s, and is earning we look forward to seeing more wine exports across the Pacific as a result of this new partnership.”

“

a reputation for its

The journey towards this partnership began in November “With an estimated 300,000 Canadian passport holders, savvy, high-end 2012 when Mr. Prodan represented the Wines of British Hong Kong has one of the largest Canadian communities Columbia at the Hong Kong International Wine & outside of Canada. This makes Hong Kong a great market wine consumers.

Spirits Fair and, later in May, Cuvées hosted an invitefor B.C. wine products,” explains Brian Brown, British only wine paired Cantonese dinner at the Hotel ICON. Columbia’s Trade and Investment Representative in Hong Working in conjunction with what is now British Columbia’s Ministry of Kong. “This new partnership with Cuvées in Hong Kong will improve local International Trade, this was the BCWI’s first venture into this exciting market. awareness and understanding of BC wines and wine-growing regions such At the intimate Hotel ICON dinner, dozens of invited buyers, sommeliers and as the Okanagan, and it will help gain exposure in the broader Asia Pacific consumers discovered 16 featured wines from five of BC’s best wineries (all region.” of which are currently listed), and we were delighted to receive high praise and The wineries currently listed on Cuvées are Laughing Stock Vineyards, accolades from all of the guests.

Nk’Mip Cellars, Poplar Grove Winery, Quails’ Gate Winery, Sandhill, In January 2013, the BCWI worked with the Canadian Vintners Association Stoneboat Vineyards and Therapy Vineyards. For more information and to as well as Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada to host Cuvées view the current listings, visit www.cuvees.com.

”

Page 12 Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013

www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Wine Business Geoff McIntyre CA

Geoff McIntyre is a Business Advisor to the Agri food industry and Chartered Accountant for MNP LLP.

AN EXIT STRATEGY THAT’S GOT LEGS GETTING THE RIGHT CORPORATE STRUCTURE FOR YOUR ESTATE WINERY TODAY REQUIRES LOOKING TO THE FUTURE It’s never too early to think about your exit strategy from business.

And when your business is an estate winery, there is even more to consider.

Choosing the right corporate structure today can go a long way to facilitating a tax-efficient succession plan in the future – whether the plan is to sell or to transition your business to the next generation.

An estate winery operation is really two businesses in one – the growing of the grapes in the vineyard (farming), and the processing of the grapes into wine for sale. How these businesses are structured can have a significant impact on how a future arm’s length sale or transition of the businesses to the next family generation will be treated for tax purposes.

Let’s assume that you incorporate a limited company to hold all the assets (land, buildings, equipment and inventory) and that this company also operates both businesses (the vineyard and the winery). Would that company be considered to be in the business of farming, winemaking or both?

In the 1993 Tax Court of Canada case of Leblanc v. MNR, Judge Brule stated “one could compare growing grapes and producing wine to growing tomatoes and making tomato sauce and paste. In both scenarios, the first activity falls under the broad definition of farming whereas the latter does not”. In other words, two separate businesses – one is farming, the other is winemaking.

In the 2005 Tax Court of Canada case of Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Ltd. v. the Queen, Judge Campbell found the estate winery operated by Tinhorn Creek to be one business, not two separate activities, and that the one business was farming.

Without going into too much detail, these cases are very much fact-driven and our view is they should not necessarily be relied upon. What is more relevant is the administrative position CRA has taken when asked to comment on the situation.

Although the findings of the court cases are mixed, CRA’s administrative position is fairly clear – growing grapes and going on to make wine from those grapes is considered one business – and CRA does not consider that business to be farming. In a September 4, 2001 Technical Interpretation, CRA stated that when a taxpayer “uses some or all of its grapes from the vineyard in its wine-producing business, it is likely that the operation of the vineyard and the wine-processing business by the taxpayer should be regarded as one business. We (CRA) are referring to the single business as a wine-making operation”.

So why is the question of farming versus non-farming important when planning for succession? Unlike non-farming businesses, the Income Tax Act allows qualified farm property, including shares in a family farm corporation, to be transferred from one family generation to the next on a tax deferred basis.

Suppose you purchased land several years ago and planted a vineyard. A few years later, you built a winery on the property and started making and selling your own wine. Over time, your children became interested in the business and the value of the land and the business continued to grow. The farm land you purchased for $150,000 years ago is now worth $2.5 million and your desire is to keep the land in the family.

You are now looking to the future and doing some estate planning. When a taxpayer dies, they are deemed to dispose of what they own (capital property) at its fair market value at the date of death. This means that if you hold property that has increased in value, like the farm land in our example, that gain with be taxed on your death even though your estate continues to own the property. www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Scenario #1 – You hold all assets (vineyard land, winery business) in a single corporation Under this scenario, you will report a capital gain on value of your shares in the corporation. This gain likely qualifies for your lifetime capital gains exemption for qualified small business corporation shares to the extent you have not previously used it. However, your exemption will not be sufficient to shelter the entire gain, leaving at least a portion taxable on your final tax return. And, since the business is staying in the family and nothing has been sold, cash to pay the tax may be hard to come by. Worse yet, if the company subsequently sells the land, the same gain may effectively be taxed again to the corporation.

It’s also worth noting that ongoing access to government farm income programs, such as AgriInvest and AgriStability, may be denied or restricted if the corporation is engaged in significant processing or non-farming activities.

Scenario #2 – The vineyard land is held personally while the winery business is incorporated Under Scenario #2, you will still report a capital gain on the value of your shares in the corporation, but the gain will be much lower (since the valuable farm property is held outside the corporation). You will still have the opportunity to use your lifetime capital gains exemption to offset the gain on the shares.

The big plus is that farm land can now be transferred to your children on a taxdeferred basis. Essentially, your children will inherit the land at its original cost of $150,000. The result would be the same if the vineyard was owned and operated by a second corporation that was in the business of farming.

As a result of CRA’s position on grape growing and winemaking in a single entity, we often recommend keeping the vineyard assets and operation separate from the winemaking business – either by holding those assets personally or in a separate corporation – since the potential tax benefits are maintaining clear farm status can be significant. As a final note, you should always consult your business advisor and lawyer to discuss liability and asset protection issues before deciding on a structure for your business.

To find out what Geoff can do for you, contact him at 250.763.8919 or e-mail: Geoff mcintyre@mnp.ca.

The perfect blend of services and experience.

Each winery is as unique as the wine they create.

That’s why MNP’s business advisors offer a wide range of industry-specific services beyond traditional accounting and tailor them to your needs. By working closely with you, we help identify inefficiencies, control costs and enhance the performance of your operation to help you keep opportunities flowing.

Find out what MNP can do for you. Contact: Okanagan Valley Geoff McIntyre, CA 1.877.766.9735 geoff.mcintyre@mnp.ca

Vancouver Island Marsha Stanley, CA•CBV, CGA 1.888.854.8567 marsha.stanley@mnp.ca

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013 Page 13

Harvest Recap Lindsay Kelm Communication Manager, BCWI Representing 131 member wineries throughout the province, the BCWI supports and markets the Wines of British Columbia (BC VQA), which gives consumers assurance they are buying a wine that is 100% from BC. The BCWI also markets the Wine Regions of British Columbia; delivers quality trade, media and consumer tastings; and acts as the voice of BC’s wine industry by advocating to government on behalf of its members. Learn more at www.winebc.com.

2013 Vintage produces great quality & Quantity The outstanding summer weather in 2013 led to the earliest start to John Kelly noted that the overall growing season was good with bud the BC grape harvest on record, and initial reports suggest another break right on schedule, which was a nice change from previous bumper crop. vintages. There was a bit of rain through early September, which burned off in October for a clear harvest. Kelly is particularly excited After several arduous years fraught with challenging vintages, hard about the quality of the Gewürztraminer and Pinot Blanc. winters and overall reduced crops, it is a pleasure to see that harvest levels are returning to normal. In 2012, the total reported tonnage Located outside of BC’s designated viticultural areas, Harper’s Trail was 30,100 and in 2013 that number is projected to be 33,500.

Estate Winery in Kamloops reported an excellent growing season.

Their harvest began on October 1 with their Gewürztraminer. In In the Okanagan, the first grapes for table wine were picked by total, they brought in nearly 70 tons, up from 40 tons in 2012.

Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate on August 27, more than a week Currently, their estate vineyard is home to Gewürztraminer, Riesling, ahead of 2012 vintage that started on September 7. Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Cabernet Franc and they added 6 acres grapes were picked from the Bear Cub on the Osoyoos Lake Bench. this year with Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir. Proprietor Vicki Collett is Derek Kontkanen, white winemaker for Jackson-Triggs Okanagan particularly excited for their flagship Riesling as well as the Cabernet Estate explained the spectacular summer, “this is my 10th vintage Franc. This year marks only the second release of the Cabernet Franc, here and it’s great to see a return to more normal Okanagan-like with demand in 2012 far exceeding the supply. Customers will be weather, similar to 2008 and 2009, with a warm and consistent happy that this year, the case production has nearly tripled. growing season,” Kontkanen said in a news release. “When looking Rolf de Bruin, Owner of Fort Berens Estate Winery in Lillooet at the numbers, so far this season is shaping up to be a very good reports an overall good growing season. “It started off great with a vintage. The flavour profile of our first varietal to come in Sauvignon much warmer than average spring. April and May were particularly Blanc, is just what we’re aiming to achieve — grassy, grapefruit and warmer, which accelerated planted development in early stages. We tangerine tropical notes, along with good balance of sugar and are now in our fifth leaf, so it’s great to have a nice, easy start for acidity.” the vines when root development is happening.” After the warm spring, summer was average, with no heat spikes to stop ripening, At Tantalus Vineyards in Kelowna, harvest kicked off on September so the vines saw good continual development. In late summer, 13 with some Pinot Noir for a new sparkling wine project. After the early September de Bruin explains that the pressure from diseases first of the Pinot Noir came in, winemaker David Paterson and his and pests was greater than normal with lots of wasps in particular. team moved on to the 1985 plantings of Pinot Meunier for Rosé, Luckily, the weather cooled in September which slowed them down. which Tantalus reports has “lots of lifted florals and that signature Harvest at Fort Berens began on September 21 with their Pinot Noir, rhubarb/strawberry essence.” Overall, the cool evenings that arrived followed by Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. The white harvest was on in mid-September slowed down the ripening and allowed for the par with 2012, where the reds came in nearly 2 weeks earlier than fruit to have some extra hang time while keeping that crisp acidity last year. In total, de Bruin states they harvested 65 tons from their that Tantalus is so well known for.

20 acre property, with a few acres of Riesling waiting to become In the Similkameen Valley, Seven Stones winery picked their first Late Harvest. He is particularly excited about the Pinot Noir and grapes on October 2. Owner and winemaker George Hanson rates Cabernet Franc, explaining “we did some single bunching this year this vintage as a 10 out of 10 noting it was “one of the best vintages with the potential of creating a reserve pinot. I’m also very excited we’ve ever had at Seven Stones. I’m really happy with the quality and about our Cabernet Franc. We were just amazed by the flavours. phenolic development of the grapes and we had really good quantity Overall, everything is tasting really nice.” as well.” Hanson is particularly excited about his 2013 Cabernet Even with a soggy end to the season and numerous battles with Sauvignon and Merlot. wasps, vintners across the province are excited about the both quality Vista D’oro in the Fraser Valley reports that they harvested their estate and quantity this vintage. The increased crop represents amazing Maréchal Foch on October 12 at 22 Brix, which Owner/Winemaker potential for our industry to increase previously reduced allocations Patrick Murphy crushed and pressed same day to create their light to key customers and grow both our local BC and Canadian export style red. Murphy notes that it was the most humid summer in years, customer base. There is great opportunity to increase the presence which wreaked a bit of havoc with their white varieties. In addition of the Wines of BC on the world stage with increased allocations in to their Langley fruit, Vista D’oro receives fruit from the Cowichan key export markets, such as Hong Kong and the United States, where and Similkameen Valley’s as well and reports excellent Pinot Noir distribution channels are already in place through strategic BCWI from the Island and “some of the best Foch we’ve ever seen” from partnerships. Some of the standout varietals for 2013 are Pinot Gris, Olalla.

Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

On Vancouver Island, Glenterra Vineyards started their harvest in For the latest on the Wines of British Columbia, like www.facebook. first week of October, on par with their typical start dates. Owner com/winebcdotcom, and follow @winebcdotcom on Twitter.

Page 14 Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013

www.cdngrapes2wine.com

BC Grape Hardiness 2013-21014 Winter Grape Bud Hardiness Okanagan Valley BC

Beautiful landscape The winner of the Best Commercial Landscape in the 2013 Okanagan Xeriscape Garden Contest was Cellar-tek.

Lisa Masini, of Waterwise Landscape Design was responsible for putting together this beautiful landscape.The owners of Cellar Tek asked Masini to design something environmentally friendly that was also beautiful and welcoming. The commercial street where Cellar – tek is located is mostly concrete sidewalks and asphalt road.

Some of the plants used were Clematis ligusticifolia, a fast growing native white clematis. Brown-eyed susans (Gaillardia aristata) bloom profusely from June to frost. Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) has vibrant silver foliage similar to lavender. Its yellow bloom is a highlight in August and September. Sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata) shrub keeps its attractive silver foliage year round. Heuchera cylindrica is an evergreen mound with stalks of white flowers in spring. Dwarf Mugo pines provide a touch of evergreen. Royal Burgundy barberry shrubs provide a burgundy foliage contrast. Crocus and fritillaria bulbs bloom in spring.

All was designed with drought-tolerant and low-water plants to avoid the need for an irrigation system. Plants were hand-watered the first year to become established. Moisture is conserved by a two-inch depth of cherry bark mulch and two inches of fir mulch. Annual maintenance required for this landscape is approximately 15 hours which includes watering, weeding, cutting back perennials, weekly garbage pick-up, and spring and fall clean up. Peter Glockner an executive with the company says “The landscaping looks beautiful! We’ve had lots of compliments from other building owners and winery owners who pop in. We used the gift certificate we won to plant additional plants into the garden.”

www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013 Page 15

Education Tracking tannins:

new program to monitor wine grape tannin maturity

When tannins – the flavour compounds in grapes responsible for bitterness and astringency in wine – don’t reach adequate levels, the resulting wine can be light in colour, lack fruity flavours and have green aromas.

Now, a new program from the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) is looking to provide Niagara winemakers with information on managing various levels of tannin maturity to help winemakers optimize wine quality when growing seasons don’t provide ideal tannin levels in the grape skins and seeds.

TanninAlert, run by CCOVI’s Senior Scientist in Oenology Belinda Kemp, will use laboratory testing to monitor tannin concentration levels for Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes in Niagara each harvest. “The goal of the program,” Kemp says, “is to help winemakers manage tannins at each stage of the winemaking process by providing them with the initial harvest levels and advice.”

Next fall, base level wines from the three grape varieties will be made at the low, medium and high tannin levels using the same winemaking technique. A second set of wines will be produced using the most suitable winemaking techniques for each tannin group which can then be compared to the base wines. Based on the program’s findings, a best practices guide for managing tannin concentrations in red wine will be made available to the industry. “TanninAlert is a great addition to CCOVI’s lineup of outreach programs,” says CCOVI Director Debbie Inglis. “The program will provide valuable insights to help local winemakers make informed decisions.” Wineries interested in participating in the program can contact Kemp for more information at bkemp@brocku.ca.

Launching TanninAlert has been Kemp’s first priority since joining the CCOVI team in July from her previous position as a researcher at Plumpton College in the United Kingdom. “There are a number of winemaking techniques that can be utilized to manage tannins and optimize wine quality at all ripeness levels,” Kemp said. “Ensuring winemakers have the initial information at the beginning of the winemaking process is very important.”

When this year’s crop reaches commercial ripeness levels, the tannin concentration in the grapes will be measured to set a benchmark. Based on concentration data, grapes will be classified into one of three categories: low, medium or high tannin levels.

We’re Getting Bigger So You Can Get Better

Seed tannin concentration can be monitored by visual, taste and laboratory analysis. Above is the progression from harvest 2013 in Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

GERARD’S

EQUIPMENT LTD.

Supplying Specialized machinery to growers, nurseries and vineyards since 1973

VOTEX MOWERS

The FLV mower is designed for pulverizing orchard prunings up to 4” thick. This rugged machine has a large diameter rotor, heavy “claw” flails, low enclosed doubleskinned hood and rear tines. It operates on a height adjustable, full width rear roller with sealed bearings.

It can be centrally mounted or offset easily, though hydraulics are optional.

Available in widths of 125 cm up to 225 cm.

Vintage Nurseries …growing with your success in mind.

IDEAL ALSAZIA PERFECT

A new concept sprayer with dual counter rotation propellers providing inverted suction. The large amount of airflow produced allows easy penetration between the thick leaves of the plants. The inverted suction on the top improves the flow-penetration inside the foliage and assures a constant air-flow at the same time. The narrow dimensions make working between the rows easy.

day after day, we plant and plan at vintage nurseries, expanding our product selection and service to meet your growing needs. in an effort to be a reliable source for all of our customers, we strive to maintain the highest standards in the industry. Quite simply, the bigger we get, the harder we work to keep your success and satisfaction our top priority.

Wasco Paso Robles Modesto 661-758-4777 805-237-8914 209-523-8036 www.VintageNurseries.com | 800-499-9019 |

seRving the Wine, table gRaPe and Raisin industRies Page 16 Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013

santa Rosa 707-542-5510

33684 Highway 97 South, Oliver, BC 250-498-2524 or 250-498-6231 Fax 250-498-3288 www.cdngrapes2wine.com

British Columbia

GROWING DEGREE DAYS ACCUMULATION

provided by PARC

Summerland - Total Monthly Growing Degree Days - 1998-2013

Osoyoos - Growing Degree Day Accumulation - 1998-2013 2000

450 1998

1998 - 1778

1999

400

1999 - 1377

1800

2000

2000 - 1455

2001 2002

350

2003

2004 - 1576

1400

2005

2005 - 1506

2006 2007

2007 - 1508 2008 - 1442

GDD

2009

1000

2010 2011

200

2006 - 1550

1200

2008

250 GDD

2002 - 1532 2003 - 1769

2004

300

2001 - 1554

1600

2012

2009 - 1627 2010 - 1429 2011 - 1384

800

2013

2012 - 1545 2013 - 1624

150

600

100

400

50

200

0

0

Brad Estergaard - Wine Grape Research Centre @ PARC April

May

June

July

Brad Estergaard - Wine Grape Research Centre @ PARC

August

September

October

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

220

240

260

280

300

Day of Year (Julian Date)

Month

Osoyoos - Total Monthly Growing Degree Days [OCTOBER] - 1998-2013

Summerland - Growing Degree Day Accumulation - 1998-2013 140

2000

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

1998 - 1520 1999 - 1074

1800

2000 - 1102

120

2001 - 1241

1600

110.45

2002 - 1292 2003 - 1494

100

2004 - 1378

1400

2005 - 1304 2006 - 1413

1200

2007 - 1317

80

2008 - 1241

1000

2010 - 1238 2011 - 1195

800

72.8

GDD

GDD

2009 - 1427

66.3

61.25

60

2012 - 1333 2013 - 1415

600

37.85

40

26.05

400

40.95

35.65

30.2

44.65

37.05

28.4 18.5

20

40.1

13.35

200

12.35

Brad Estergaard - Wine Grape Research Centre @ PARC 0

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

220

240

260

280

300

0

September Month

Day of Year (Julian Date)

Summerland - Total Monthly Growing Degree Days [OCTOBER] - 1998-2013 80

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Osoyoos - Total Monthly Growing Degree Days - 1998-2013 2012

500

2013

450

68.61

70

60 350

52.15

300

44.6

2000 2002 2003 2004 2005

40 32.65

31.7

200

27.55 18.97

0

Month

www.cdngrapes2wine.com

2012

100

12.55 6.95

October

2010

150

15.5 9.90

2009

2013

24.05

14.67 14.83

250

2011

30 22.02

2007 2008

40.45

GDD

GDD

1999

2006

50

10

1998

2001

400

20

Brad Estergaard - Wine Grape Research Centre @ PARC

50 0

Brad Estergaard - Wine Grape Research Centre @ PARC

April

May

June

July

Brad Estergaard - Wine Grape Research Centre @ PARC

August

September

October

Month

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013 Page 17

Ontario

Wes Wiens Crowned Grape King

Farm Credit Canada, the Grape Growers of Ontario and the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival are pleased to announce that Wes Wiens, of Wiens Family Farms in Niagara-on-the-Lake, has been named Ontario’s Grape King.

The Grape King acts as an ambassador for all of Ontario’s grape growers for the coming year at Grape Growers of Ontario and Niagara Wine Festival events, as well as wine festivals in Prince Edward County, Southwestern Ontario and in British Columbia.

“Farm Credit Canada has been a long-time supporter of Ontario’s grape farmers, and is extremely pleased to honour Wes Wiens as this year’s Grape King,” says John Geurtjens, Director, Agribusiness and Agri-Food Ontario, Farm Credit Canada.

There is a rich tradition of choosing a Grape King each year, beginning with the first crowning in 1956. The grower is chosen in recognition of grape growing excellence, first by being nominated by fellow growers, and then judged by a panel of industry experts on their viticultural excellence.

“We are thrilled to have Wes serve as the 2013 Grape King and be the ambassador for Ontario’s grape growing industry,” says Grape Growers of Ontario Chair, Bill George.

“Wes is a young, dynamic figure who has quickly established himself as a leader in viticulture innovation.”

“The Wiens family represents a truly Canadian grape growing legacy and we are honoured to have Wes, Briar and their family represent the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival from coast to coast,” says Kimberly Hundertmark, Executive Director of the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival.

Whether providing grapes to the wineries they grow for, custom services such as planting, trellising and harvesting, or supplying the Canadian industry with grapevine nursery stock and expertise, the Wiens family has dedicated themselves to providing the highest quality in products and services specifically catered to the Canadian Grape and Wine Industry. .

Debbie Zimmerman, Chief Executive Officer of the Grape Growers of Ontario says, “The annual crowning of the Grape King is recognition of the best that Ontario’s grape growers have to offer.”

Wes Wiens was born and raised on a grape and tender fruit farm in Niagara-on-theLake where he, along with his three siblings worked alongside his parents, learning the value of a dollar as well as gaining the innovative work ethic that has carried his family through the highs and lows of farming.

Now married, Wes and his wife Briar and their four children continue to farm with Wes’ family. Together with his brother Gary and his wife Lauren, and their parents Abe and Agnes, they have transitioned to focus solely on vineyards. In addition to numerous experimental plots for varietal, clonal and rootstock comparison, the Wiens family vineyards consist of 19 varieties planted on 400 acres which they supply to four local wineries.

Wes Wiens, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

2014 Official Wines of Ontario’s Legislative Assembly The idea of a wine tasting event at Queens Park to showcase the master craftsmanship of Ontario wines began in 1978. The tradition has continued with the Grape Growers of Ontario, together with the Honourable Speaker of the Legislature, Dave Levac, MPP, hosting the 35th Annual Wine Tasting event at Queen’s Park on October 21st.

Over the past 35 years, the industry has seen remarkable changes and growth in Ontario VQA wines, through investment in innovation and commitment to advance the quality of the VQA wine industry.

MPPs from across the province gathered to select their top wine preference for the 2014 official red and white VQA wines for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, from wines represented by six Ontario wineries from the three Designated Viticulture Areas (Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore and Prince Edward County).

award-winning wines that are made in the traditional Italian appassimento method.

Our Pinot Grigio that was chosen is made in that style and our chosen red wine is made in the Ripasso style. We are excited to have our wines enjoyed and appreciated for the passion that went into the making of them,” says Betty Colaneri.

The official red and white VQA wines of Ontario’s Legislative Assembly will be served at legislative functions throughout 2014. The Grape Growers of Ontario thank the Honourable Speaker Dave Levac and look forward to continuing the tradition of the Legislative Wine Tasting.

The Grape Growers of Ontario is the official organization that represents over 500 actively producing grape growers of 17,000 acres in the province’s three viticulture areas: Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore and Prince Edward County.

“The Grape Growers of Ontario were pleased to host the 35th Annual Wines of the Legislative Assembly tasting event. We appreciate the attendance of the Members of Provincial Parliament and thank all participating wineries.” says Bill George, Chair.

The official wines of Ontario’s Legislative Assembly for 2014, both from Colaneri Estate Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, are 2010 Corposo (Ripasso Style) and 2011 Cavallone (Pinot Grigio).

“The wines showcased at the wine tasting reflect the connection between 100% Ontario grown grapes and the winemakers who craft them,” says Debbie Zimmerman. “As we celebrate the 35th anniversary of this event, I congratulate all of Ontario’s wineries on producing top quality VQA wines.”

“We are honoured and thrilled to have both our red and white wines selected as the official wines of the Legislature for 2014. We are sincerely grateful to the members of the Ontario Legislature for choosing our wines. Colaneri Estate Winery is family owned and operated. As growers for the past 30 years, only the finest estate grown grapes are used to produce our highest quality VQA wines. It is through our passion, dedication and perseverance that we offer only premium, hand-harvested, Page 18 Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013

Debbie Zimmerman, CEO; Honourable Dave Levac, MPP; Bill Schenck, Director; Grape King Wes Wiens; Bill George, Chair GGO; Steve Pohorly, Director; and Matthias Oppenlaender Vice Chair GGO.

Mike Standen and Betty Colaneri from Colaneri Estate Winery with the Honourable Speaker Dave Levac (centre)

www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Cool Stuff

THE WORLD OF NIAGARA WINE The World of Niagara Wine, a recently released book, explores the combination of nature and human effort that has shaped Niagara into one of Canada’s leading grape-growing and wine-producing regions.

Edited by Brock University geography researchers Michael Ripmeester, Phillip Gordon Mackintosh and Christopher Fullerton, the book took a transdisciplinary approach including the work of 25 scholars from across all areas of the grape and wine value chain.

Titled Business and Bottles, the second section focuses on the entrepreneurship behind and the promotion and marketing of Niagara wines.

“Brock plays an important role in terms of its wine research,” Ripmeester, a Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) fellow, said. “We thought this was a great opportunity to show off what the university was doing.”

The science behind winemaking is explored in the third section titled The Vineyard to the Bottle. This section covers topics from grape growing, climate analysis, soil science wine tasting to wine production.

Instead of assigning topics to various experts and collating them, the editors decided to develop the content based on a series of workshops. These writing workshops allowed more collaboration and a chance to build a common thread through the book to tie the research together.

In the book’s preface, wine writer Konrad Ejbich said “what sets The World of Niagara Wine apart is its voice and its perspective. It is authored by a group of deeply curious academics who have an abiding passion for wine and for all that happens in the Niagara Peninsula.”

A cultural perspective on Niagara winemaking finishes the book with discussions on tourism, politics and everyday responses to the grape and wine industry. “It is fully referenced, rigorous academic work but intended for a wider audience who are interested in wine in Niagara,” Ripmeester said.

APOTHECARY COCKTAILS

Restorative Drinks from Yesterday and Today

by Warren Bowbrow

At the turn of the century, pharmacies in Europe and America prepared homemade tinctures, bitters, and herbal remedies mixed with alcohol for curative benefits for everything from poor digestion to the common cold. Today, trendy urban bars such as Apotheke in New York, Apo Bar & Lounge in Philadelphia, and 1022 South in Tacoma, as well as “vintage” and “homegrown” cocktail aficionados,

Other CCOVI researchers, fellows and professional affiliates who contributed to this book include: Linda Bramble, Dirk De Clercq, Debbie Inglis, Ronald Jackson, Gary Pickering, Andrew Reynolds, Anthony Shaw, Narongsak Thongpapanl and Maxim Voronov. The World of Niagara Wine is available through Wilfrid Laurier University Press and amazon.com.

find inspiration in apothecary cocktails from times gone by. The new book APOTHECARY COCKTAILS [Fair Winds Press, October 2013, $21.99 US / $23.99 CAN], by Warren Bobrow, features 75 traditional and and modern recipes for medicinally-themed cocktails and shows readers how they too can create restorative, alcoholic drinks in their own homes.

EVERYDAY GLO STICK Never Have “red wine mouth” again. Just click, swipe and GLO! Keep your smile white and healthy with Everyday GLO. Erase stains from coffee, tea and red wine, after meals, before meetings – and add a high gloss shine to your smile! The antioxidant and vitamin formula freshens breath and promotes healthy gums. The unique scrubbing tip is specially designed to remove stains before they set, keeping teeth white and bright every day. Sleek and small Everyday GLO fits into a makeup bag or back pocket. Smiles Just Got Smart.

For more information, visit: www.GloScience.com. Everyday GLO™ Teeth Whitening Maintenance SRP: $25 (4.0 mL/.14 oz.)

OKANAGAN NAGAN WINE E LAB

M

The first section, Niagara Wines Decanted, explores the early history of wine in Niagara, the influence of government regulation as well as its contemporary economic significance.

DI

10

OKANAGAN WINE LAB OU % NT

SC

PR On On OM A All O ny O Ser CO n vic DE e O es : G rde 2W r 11 13

Penticton Lab With 24/7 “Nite OWL” Drop Off • VQA and Export Packages • Microbial Analysis VQA and Export Packages • Lab Chemicals & Equipment • Kelowna Satellite Office Microbial Analysis VQA and Export Packages *New Ok Falls 24/7 Drop Box* Lab Chemicals & Equipment Microbial Analysis OKWINELAB.COM “Nite OWL” 24hr Drop Off OKWINELAB.COM OKWINELAB.COM 250.717.0788 Lab Chemicals & Equipment

VQA and Export Packages Microbial Analysis Lab Chemicals & Equipment “Nite OWL” 24hr Drop Off

“Nite OWL” 24hr Drop Off

www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013 Page 19

British Columbia Jim Martin Jim Martin has been involved with the wine and spirits industry for more than three decades. Originally from Vancouver, he started with the provincial BCLDB and discovered a passion for wine in 1977 when he stumbled across a 1975 Bordeaux. He left the BCLDB for the private sector becoming involved in the opening of Kelowna’s first private specialty wine store, Waterfront Wines. You can reach Jim at 778-484-5656 or email jim@metroliquor.com.

CHAMPAGNE “I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad.

Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone.

When I have company I consider it obligatory.

I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and I drink it when I am.

Otherwise I never touch it, unless I’m thirsty.”

-Lily Bollinger The vineyards of Champagne are the most northern of any French wine area and as such, extreme care and attention must be taken to protect the vine from unfavourable climatic conditions.

Yet these conditions are just one of the factors that contribute to the making of Champagne. Another is the exceptional soil which is comprised of chalk, silicon and clay. The silicon and clay give the soil a workable consistency while the chalk allows the moisture to drain but at the same time retains enough to nourish the vine. The white pebbled chalky soil also absorbs the heat of the sunshine and reflects and radiates it at night. Without this extra heat source, the grapes, in some years, may not fully ripen.

The grape selection for the production of Champagne is equally as important as the climate. While up to seven varieties are allowed only Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay are used extensively.

Of these, Pinot Noir and Meunier are black grapes, which yield white juice and command the largest percentage of acreage at 38% and 32% respectively with Chardonnay covering 30%. The grapes are usually small and tart because the cool climate in Champagne matures them slowly and in some years incompletely. The sugar content in the grapes rises as summer wears on but never as much as in warmer regions. The acidity in the grapes is always high, which gives the finish wine its distinct crispness.

The process for the creation of Champagne is similar to the regular fermentation method until it’s time to bottle the wine.

Here is where the two differ. From April to July, when the fermented wine is ready to bottle, a small addition of yeast and cane sugar, dissolved in wine, is added. The yeast converts the sugar to alcohol, adding an extra 1% alcohol to the wine plus contributing the carbon dioxide that gives the sparkle to the wine.

A crown cap similar to a beer cap is used to seal the bottle.

As fermentation proceeds, the carbon dioxide increases to about 5-6 times that of the atmosphere at sea level and this is the reason that the heavy duty bottles are used. This fermentation usually takes three months but the wines may be left for many years longer to age. It’s during this time that the bottles are rotated a quarter turn every day or two.

This is called Remuage and is done to ‘shake’ the sediment so that it eventually slides down to the neck of the bottle. The person in charge is called the remueur, who is capable of turning up to 32,000 bottles a day. When he or she is finished, the sediment next to the cap. It is now ready for the Dégorgement.

This involves the freezing of the bottle neck and the removing of the cap and sediment, which is expelled by the pressure in the bottle. The frozen plug of sediment and a small amount of wine are ‘disgorged’ and a little of the same wine from another bottle is added to bring it back to its original level. Depending on the style of wine being made, a small amount of sugar may be added with the wine. This is called liqueur d’expédition.

The wine is now ready to be corked and stored for two or three months so that the liqueur d’expédition can blend with the wine and the cork settle into position. At this point, they may remain in the wineries cellars for numerous years before they are released onto the market.

The basic Champagne is the Non Vintage blend. The production of a non-vintage is to provide a continuous house style through the careful blending of various vintages from some of the best Champagne houses (wineries) and their growers. Most non vintage Champagnes are based on wine from a single year, with added reserve wines from previous vintages with a minimum ageing of 15 months before release but all good houses are aging their wines considerably longer, which greatly improves their flavour. Vintage Champagne is a wine from a single, usually good quality year. It’s typically fuller, deeper, richer and the next level in the quality scale though not necessarily more enjoyable. Whereas non-vintage is best for spontaneous celebrations, vintage Champagne is worth taking your time to enjoy it. Vintage Champagne must be 36 months old before it is sold but many houses age their wines for longer than this legal minimum.

Prestige Cuvées are special, highly prized Champagnes that are produced in a special bottle and can be a vintage or occasionally a blend of vintages. Probably the most famous of these is Moët’s Cuvée Dom Pérignon. Prestige cuvées represent the pinnacle of a winery’s achievement and can cost around three times more than a Non-Vintage and around double the price of a Vintage.

Champagne Picks: • Louis Roederer NV $68 • Varnier-Fanniere NV $76 • Pierre Gimonnet Brut ‘Fleuron’ 2006 $90 And here in BC we have...

• See Ya Later Ranch SYL Brut NV $23 • Sumac Ridge Stellar’s Jay 2008 $25

• Blue Mountain Brut N.V. $24 • Gray Monk Odyssey Brut $30

AGRICULTURAL NETTING & FABRICS

● Unbeatable bird protection ● Strong HDPE knit, open-mesh nets ● 10 year UV warranty ● Hail, shade, rain & other fabrics ● Easy to apply and remove ● Nets for grapes, cherries & berry crops ● Custom nets and structures

Neal Carter & Associates Ltd. 250-494-1099 www.farmsolutions.net neal_carter@telus.net

Page 20 Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013

www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Marketing Leeann Froese Leeann Froese is a consultant based in Vancouver, BC who does strategic wine marketing and communications via her company, Town Hall. Outside of work and wine, Leeann is a Cub Scout leader & Les Dames d’Escoffier member, and she is into birding, running & community. See more of Leeann’s work on townhallbrands.com or chat with the Town Hall team on Twitter @townhallbrands or Facebook facebook.com/townhallbrands

GET IN TOUCH - EXPLORING BRAND TOUCHPOINTS In the last issue we talked about your brand story and putting it to work for you.

In this issue we will talk about ways to keep your brand identity strong and recognizable through all that you do, so that it makes a strong impression when you interact with customers.

If you have gone through the time, energy, and expense to define your branding, you want to maintain its integrity wherever and whenever your brand is used. You have put a lot of thought into its values, language and imagery. You have chosen colours, font styles, and perhaps an iconic image to represent your brand. Your branding is your Nike Swoosh. It constantly identifies you.

You have worked hard to make your brand instantly recognizable at every touchpoint, be it on the retail shelf, or on a restaurant table. What’s a brand touchpoint you ask? It’s all the different ways that your brand interacts with customers, employees and others; put simply it’s any encounter people have with your brand.

Customers experience your touchpoints as they purchase – use – and repurchase / recommend. Touchpoints include, among other things, the product itself, its packaging, advertising, merchandise displays, written promotion, website, and customer service.

Think about all the different ways your brand interacts with and makes an impression on your customers. Then ask yourself if these experiences properly reflect your brand and if they are consistent with its story. Does every ‘touch’ your brand has do what you want it to?

All touchpoints aren’t created equal either and some will play a larger role in determining your company’s overall customer experience. With wine, taste is more important than package design.

Both are touchpoints, but each has a different impact on your customers’ experience with your brand as a whole. Brand touchpoints and interactions occur in three general phases during the customer’s path to purchase: pre-purchase, at purchase, or post-purchase. In each phase there are certain goals and objectives that touchpoints of your brand can help you reach.

Pre-purchase touchpoints Touchpoints here influence whether people will consider buying your brand, so you should be creating and heightening awareness for your brand, and making potential customers aware of the differences between your brand and your competitors’. Pre-purchase touchpoints include your identity, advertising, research, email campaigns, public relations, samples, direct mail, free standing inserts, and your website.

Purchase touchpoints At this phase, touchpoints are doing their job if they have moved a person from consideration to action, and purchasing. Packaging, point of purchase displays and exhibits, in-store sampling, and events are all great examples of purchase touchpoints for your brand.

Post-purchase touchpoints Post-purchase touchpoints include customer service, loyalty programs, and newsletters. They are the interactions that occur after the sale to maximize the total brand experience.

Keeping your Brand Strong Across all Touchpoints If you demonstrate a clear, convincing brand image, potential current customers will be more likely to remember you and do business with you in the future. When you deviate from your original branding it weakens your brand’s overall imagery, and ‘muddies your brand’.

There are many ways to keep your brand identity strong when it is used on various touchpoints, but not all of these habits are top of mind for everyone. www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Think about your brand’s font and colour. If you create an ad or a newsletter or a brochure, be sure to be consistent with the fonts and colours as people may identify with them. If your brand uses blue and white and Helvetica font, don’t create a newsletter that is orange and green and uses Arial.

If your branding is traditional, conservative and rather formal, to use images such as cartoons or slang language would be off brand.

The buying public is constantly bombarded with imagery and has a tendency to bounce around and could lose interest at any given moment. Therefore you should use a number of different tactics over time to engage potential buyers, move them toward making a purchase and then, keep them as repeat customers. This means maintaining a strong presence as well as repeating yourself and your imagery across multiple channels and touchpoints. As long as you are consistent, the repetition will make your brand stick.

Andrew von Rosen, the senior designer on my Town Hall team, reinforces the need to stay consistent. “We recently had a client who wanted to change every ad, just ‘to have fun’,” he says. “The problem is that when you change every ad to look completely different, your customer will never become familiar with your brand.”

“It’s important that ad continuity remains, “he continues. “While backgrounds and photos can change, it is important that logo placement and font styles stay the same. This allows the viewer to become familiar with your ‘look’, which allows for brand recognition.”

Through reinforcing and strengthening what your brand stands for at each of your touchpoints, you can ultimately drive sales and generate customer satisfaction. High customer satisfaction means that your brand will experience greater loyalty, experience word of mouth referrals, and be able to withstand competition in the marketplace. This means more sales, and ultimately more profit.

Okanagan Barrel Works Ltd. CANADA’S ONLY FULL SERVICE

COOPERAGE

We make premium quality French and American

• Barrels • Oak Tanks • Fermenters 233 Thorp Rd., Oliver, BC VOH 1T9 Tel: 250) 498-3718 Fax: (250) 498-0463

sales@winebarrels.com www.winebarrels.com Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013 Page 21

Safety

winter safety activities

Harvest is done and winter is around the corner. These upcoming months allow us • hazard identification – identify, evaluate and control time to reflect and review. Many ideas for improvements come during the busy season but it is often not until a quiet time when some of those larger projects get your full • workplace inspections • safe work practises for each identified attention. hazard example: working alone, From an employer safety perspective, an important winter activity is to review your safe pruning techniques training health and safety program. The review would help determine what went well in the and education including worker past season and what needs attention. Were there incidents and were all the corrective orientation, job training worker measures completed? Some incidents may be near misses that didn’t actually cause involvement via safety committees an injury but could have been much more serious. It is so important to learn from and/or crew meetings, emergency incidents to ensure they do not happen in the future. Not only will the effort prevent preparedness and response, incident future incidents but will also have the potential to reduce your experience rating and investigations. lower insurance costs.

An active workplace health and safety Many times when employers think of a safety program, paperwork comes to mind. program provides detail of these It is true that documentation is a key part of a safety program, especially for large elements. Take the time to know what employers. Documentation proves due diligence – it is an employer’s responsibility you have in place and what still needs to take all reasonable care to protect the well-being of workers. Due diligence is a work. Ensure key safety responsibilities are outlined, assigned and understood. Divide legal defence for any legal action that may happen as a result of an accident or injury. up the tasks needing attention so several people are involved in the safety program and Documentation must be in place prior to an incident. Due diligence also reveals the its improvements. Involvement improves understanding and support for your program. steps taken to ensure worker safety is practiced. A binder on a shelf labelled Health and Once you have established a system for your review, next year the review will be done Safety Program is only part of an effective safety program, documented procedures must more quickly and effectively. be followed and workers need to be aware of the workplace hazards and how to control them. Such as, operators of mobile equipment with roll-over protective structures must WorkSafeBC’s Certificate of Recognition Program is one way to measure the effectiveness be trained and know the requirements to operate equipment including wearing the seat of your program. You would receive a financial incentive for passing a workplace health belt. Supervisors are responsible to clearly outline the requirements and then encourage and safety audit. Assistance is available to further develop your safety program from the Farm and Ranch Safety and Health Association (FARSHA) for BC agriculture. and enforce those safe work practises.

Carol Reid Regional Safety Consultant Farm and Ranch Safety and Health Association, www.farsha.bc.ca

The elements of your safety program need to include • management and supervisory responsibilities, • safety policies

MORI VINES INC. - Cabernet Franc - Cabernet Sauvignon - Chardonnay - Gamay - Gewürztraminer - Malbec - Merlot

- Muscat Ottonel - Orange Muscat - Pinot Blanc - Pinot Noir - Riesling - Sauvignon Blanc - Sovereign Coronation

- Seyval Blanc - Shiraz- Syrah - Vidal - Viognier - Zinfandel - Zweigelt

NOTE: Many different clones are available.

Rootstocks available are Riparia, 101-14, SO4 and 3309 Contact: MORI VINES INC. R.R. #3, 1912 Concession 4, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario LOS 1JO Phone: (905) 468-0822 Fax: (905) 468-0344 e-mail: morivines@sympatico.ca www.morivines.com

Page 22 Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013

www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Agronomy Kristen Obeid, M.Sc.

Kristen has a master’s degree in weed science from the University of Manitoba and an honors bachelor of science degree from the University of Guelph. As OMAFRA’s Weed Management Program Lead for Horticulture crops, she leads the development, coordination and implementation of various programs related to weed management issues in Ontario.

THE NEXT LEVEL OF HERBICIDE RESISTANCE Herbicide resistant weed populations are now found throughout Canada. The number of resistant species and areas affected by resistance continues to increase.

Herbicides are the most heavily relied upon weed control method for many growers because they are both cost effective and simple, which has resulted in high selection pressure for herbicide resistance in populations of weed species.

It is often thought that weeds change or mutate to become resistant. However, weed scientists believe that weeds do not change at all. Instead, populations change. The resistant weeds have always been present in low populations. When a particular herbicide is used, it controls the normal-susceptible types. This makes room for the population of the resistant weeds to increase. Consequently, when growers say that their “weeds have become resistant,” they really mean that the population of their resistant weeds has increased greatly and the population of their susceptible weeds has decreased.

As we learn about herbicide resistance, an unfortunate side effect is that some herbicide failures from bad weather, weeds that are too large or improper applications are considered herbicide-resistance problems. Do not suspect herbicide resistance unless a herbicide failure fits the following traits: • The same herbicide was used year after year.

• One weed, which normally should be controlled, is not controlled although other weeds are controlled.

• A patch of an uncontrolled weed is spreading.

• Healthy weeds are mixed with controlled weeds (of the same species).

Even if a control failure exhibits these traits, it is not an absolute diagnosis of herbicide resistance. Get your weeds tested for resistance to confirm. As we get familiar with herbicide resistant weeds we are finding that many species are developing cross resistance to herbicides. Cross resistance is defined as the ability of a weed population

to be resistant to more than one herbicide. This may arise without the weed population ever being exposed to one of the herbicides. Why does this happen? Today, there are more than 100 different herbicides on the market, but many of these work in exactly the same way or, in other words, have the same mode of action. Fewer than 20 plant-growth mechanisms are affected by current herbicides.

If a field is infested with herbicide-cross-resistant weeds, the grower may lose yield because a competitive weed isn’t controlled. Growers also may have higher costs if they lose the use of several economical herbicides.

If you suspect a resistance problem: Use herbicides with a different mechanism of action to control the escaped weed.

• Do not let weeds go to seed.

• Use cultural practices such as cultivation.

• Contact your local extension representative, your dealer and your sales representative.

• Get your weeds tested for resistance.

Herbicide resistance is a complicated subject. Many weed scientists warn of hidden dangers in rotating modern herbicides. Because so many modern herbicides have the same mode of action, a grower could rotate crops and herbicides but still wind up with a resistance problem. The mode of action may not change even when crops and chemicals are rotated.

Look for the mode of action (also known as the Herbicide Group Number) on the top right corner of your herbicide label. OMAF Publication 75: Guide to Weed Control also lists all the herbicide group numbers in Table 4-1: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub75/chapter4.htm.

Reference: http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G4907

French and American

Oak Add Ins

TM

NADALIE USA 1401 Tubbs Lane, PO Box 798 Calistoga, CA 94515 Tel: 707.942.9301, Fax: 707-942-5037 WWW.NADALIE.COM www.cdngrapes2wine.com

Canadian Grapes to Wine • Winter 2013 Page 23

Making a Difference, One Bottle At a Time.

At TricorBraun WinePak, we believe that winemaking represents the perfect blend of dedication, patience and a passion for detail. As North America’s largest wine bottle distributor, we share that commitment to perfection. Our experienced sales and customer service team is dedicated to helping you bring your extraordinary wines to market and to fulfilling our promises of quality, efficiency, ingenuity and sustainability every step of the way.

This year, we’re taking our commitment to sustainability a step further by teaming up with longtime partner, Verallia, to offer a line of locally produced, environmentally sound, completely recyclable wine bottles.

In addition, wineries in British Columbia that have demonstrated the importance of reducing waste and transportation emissions by choosing these ecologically responsible bottles will be recognized for their commitment with specially designed neck tags as well as acknowledgment in our online and offline marketing.

Scan the code below to visit us and find out more about how making the right choices can make a big difference.

BOTTLES | CAPSULES | DECORATING | DESIGN | ENGINEERING | REPACKING

In Canada, contact: Heidi Cook | Sales Manager | 604-649-5623 1650 Brigantine Dr., Unit 500, Coquitlam, BC Canada V3K7B5

1-800-DRINKWINE | TricorBraunWinePak.com/cgw12 |