Niagara grapevines well-poised for fruitful growing season

With the first day of spring officially here and temperatures already hovering around 20° C, Niagara grape growers will be keeping a close eye on the temperature swings predicted in the weather forecast.

Jim Willwerth, Brock University assistant professor of biological sciences, says that grapevines in the region have overwintered well. 

Growers’ attentions have now turned to being mindful of spring’s warmer daytime temperatures which can threaten the cold tolerance those vines built up during the winter dormancy period.

That’s because large fluctuations can also increase the threat of injury to buds, he says.

“Right now, our vines are staying winter hardy, the risk is that if we start getting very warm daytime temperatures in March, they might then lose hardiness quite rapidly,” says Willwerth.

Willwerth’s research conducted with Brock’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) focuses on climate change and vine resiliency.