Niagara Peninsula Research Articles

Sensory analysis of Ontario Riesling wines from various water status zones

Aims: Determinants of the terroir effect in Riesling were sought by choosing vine water status as a major factor. It was hypothesized that consistent water status zones could be identified within vineyards, and, differences in wine sensory attributes could be related to vine water status.Methods and results: To test our hypothesis, 10 Riesling vineyards representative of each Ontario Vintners Quality Alliance sub-appellation were selected. Vineyards were delineated using global positioning systems and 75 to 80 sentinel vines were geo-referenced within a sampling grid for data collection. During 2005 to 2007, vine water status measurements [leaf water potential (ψ)] were collected bi-weekly from a subset of these sentinel vines. Vines were categorized into “low” and “high” leaf ψ zones within each vineyard through use of geospatial maps and replicate wines were made from each zone. Wines from similar leaf ψ zones had comparable sensory properties ascertained through sorting tasks and multidimensional scaling (2005, 2006). Descriptive analysis further indicated that water status affected wine sensory profiles, and attributes differed for wines from discrete leaf ψ zones. Multivariate analyses associated specific sensory attributes with wines of different leaf ψ zones. Several attributes differed between leaf ψ zones within multiple vineyard sites despite different growing seasons. Wines produced from vines with leaf ψ >-1.0 MPa had highest vegetal aromas whereas those with leaf ψ <-1.3 MPa were highest in honey, petrol and tropical fruit flavors. Vines under mild water deficit had highest honey, mineral, and petrol and lowest vegetal aromas.Conclusion: Results indicate that water status has a profound impact on sensory characteristics of Riesling wines and that there may be a quality threshold for optimum water status.Significance and impact of the study: These data suggest that vine water status has a substantial impact on the sensory properties of Riesling wines. Variability of leaf ψ within vineyards can lead to wines that differ in their sensory profiles. These findings were consistent among vineyards across the Niagara Peninsula. These strong relationships between leaf ψ and sensory attributes of Riesling suggest that vine water status is a major basis for the terroir effect.

Shallow groundwater salinization of the Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada

Groundwaters with total dissolved solids up to 9.5 g/l occur at depths of <50 m in the Paleozoic strata of the Niagara Peninsula. Major ions and trace elements are 1.5–40 times higher than in the same strata elsewhere in Ontario. The δ 18 O and δ 2 H values ( ; ) of groundwater suggest that meteoric precipitation is the primary source with a small portion recharged during Pleistocene glaciation. Tritium (up to 17.42 TU) and coliform bacteria (up to 600 counts/100 ml) data indicate groundwater is generally recently recharged and undergoes a series of modifications that progressively increase salinity. Elemental concentrations and δ 34 S of dissolved sulphate indicate that the salinization is due to multiple processes: (1) road salt inputs into shallow groundwater, (2) upward flow of basinal brines that mix with meteoric groundwater, (3) gypsum and anhydrite dissolution, and (4) sulphide oxidation of minor metallic sulphide minerals. Comparison with water from flowing abandoned gas wells suggests some are acting as conduits allowing upward flow of deeper (Appalachian Basin) brines. The distribution of brine-impacted wells suggests natural vertical pathways also contribute to upward transport and mixing of brine. Supplementary material: The full set of δ 34 S SO 4 in sulphate data are available at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4012885

Genetic evidence for canal-mediated dispersal of Mapleleaf,Quadrula quadrula(Bivalvia:Unionidae) on the Niagara Peninsula, Canada

Alterations to watercourses affect connectivity in aquatic systems and can influence dispersal of aquatic biota. Dams fragment populations and act as isolating barriers, but canals create connections between waterbodies that can be used as corridors for dispersal by opportunistic invaders. The Niagara Peninsula of Ontario, Canada, has a 200-y history of canal operation, resulting in major modification of the watercourses in the region. This modification allowed numerous invasive species to enter the upper Great Lakes (e.g., sea lamprey) and probably has facilitated dispersal in native species. The purpose of our study was to explore the effects of canal and dam construction on the genetic structure of Mapleleaf (Quadrula quadrula), a widespread and relatively common species in the central Great Lakes that has been found only recently in several western Lake Ontario harbors. Establishment of Q. quadrula in Lake Ontario may have been a recent event, facilitated by the Niagara Peninsula’s history of canal operation. We used analyses of microsatellite DNA genotypes to examine the effect of canals on the genetic structure of mussel populations. Structure analysis revealed a pattern of gene flow between lakes that cannot be explained by watercourse connections prior to the creation of the Welland Canal. Evidence suggestive of historical bottlenecks at some Lake Ontario sites may indicate that these populations became established after canal creation. After considering genetic structure, hydrogeography and isolation-by-distance (IBD) analysis, the first iteration of the canal (1829–1833) is most supported as the configuration that facilitated colonization. However, weak IBD signals across canal models may signify continued gene flow across configurations. Our study demonstrates the connective effect of canals on freshwater mussel populations and has the potential to improve conservation strategies for this and other unionid species at risk.

Response of Bosc and Cold Snap™ pears to thinning with NAA, 6-BA, ACC, and s-ABA

Adjusting the crop load of European pears (Pyrus communis L.) by hand thinning is currently required to ensure marketable size of most cultivars grown in Ontario. The benefits of thinning pears chemically and its effect on fruit quality and fresh-market returns were investigated in a 3-yr study where a series of foliar chemical thinning sprays were applied during the 10-mm fruitlet stage to Bosc and Cold Snap™ pear trees growing in commercial orchards in the Niagara Peninsula, Ontario. Treatments included an untreated and hand-thinned control and two concentrations each of 6-benzyladenine (6-BA; 75 and 150 mg L−1), naphthalene acetic acid (10 and 20 mg L−1), 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (150 and 300 mg L−1), and s-abscisic acid (s-ABA; 150 and 300 mg L−1). Overall, all thinning products reduced crop load at least once in the 3-yr study, although this varied by year and cultivar. Higher concentrations were more effective than lower concentrations. Naphthalene acetic acid (both rates), 150 mg L−1 of 6-BA, and 300 mg L−1 of s-ABA were the most consistent at thinning the crop. As the crop load of control trees was not heavy, minimal hand thinning was required and all thinning treatments reduced crop value compared with the untreated trees. There were minimal effects on starch hydrolysis, soluble solids, fruit firmness, and skin colour at harvest.

Integrated rural wine tourism: a case study approach

ABSTRACTUsing the Niagara Peninsula Appellation as the case study, qualitative research was employed through the use of interviews conducted with wineries and industry associations, in an attempt to answer two specific questions: (1) how does the wine industry and wine tourism aid in the development of Niagara’s rural area using the integrated rural tourism (IRT) concept, and (2) how can IRT aid in rural development through direct, experiential, conservation, development, and synergistic benefits. It is apparent that the seven components of IRT provide a reasonable framework to analyse the ability of IRT to realize benefits, although that the addition of marketing and future needs/desires as components improve its explanatory power. Using the modified IRT framework, this research found that wine tourism has derived direct, experiential, conservation, and synergistic benefits, with work still to be undertaken in order to improve upon tourism’s positive impacts in Niagara and peripherally rural areas more generally in the areas of community engagement and improved industry synergy.

Revenge Against the Idol: Competing Magical Systems on the Detroit River, 1670

The Michigan Historical Review 43:2 (Fall 2017): 55-63©2017 Central Michigan University. ISSN 0890-1686 All Rights Reserved Revenge Against the Idol: Competing Magical Systems on the Detroit River, 1670 By Martin W. Walsh Thirty years before the 1701 founding of Detroit, and nearly a decade before La Salle sailed his Griffin through the strait in 1679, the Detroit River was the scene of a major clash of cultures and a conspicuous act of iconoclasm. The first explorers to record passage through le Détroit were two Sulpician Fathers, and their adversary on this occasion was a stone idol situated on the river somewhere in the vicinity of Belle Isle. Until the end of the seventeenth century, the French route to the Great Lakes was by way of the Ottawa River to Lake Nipissing, then to Georgian Bay in Lake Huron. Lakes Ontario and Erie remained relatively unknown due to the hostile presence of the Iroquois Confederacy, particularly the Seneca Nation. When the French forged a treaty with the Confederacy in 1667, initiating a peace that lasted nearly twenty years, it opened a route to explore, map, and evangelize the Lower Great Lakes for the first time. Governor General Daniel de Rémy de Courcelle dispatched a combined missionary/exploratory expedition to the area headed by two Breton Sulpician priests, François Dollier de Casson, an ex-soldier, and René de Brehant de Galinée, together with the explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. The Sulpician Fathers (Compagnie des Prétres de Saint-Sulpice), founded only two decades before in 1647, were missionary rivals to the better-known Jesuits. The total expedition consisted of twenty-one men in seven canoes, along with two additional canoes of Seneca guides. They set off from Montreal on 6 July 1669. Galinée, a latecomer to the mission, was tasked with chronicling the voyage in a written report (procès-verbal) and mapping the newly explored areas, as he had some training as a surveyor. In the ensuing months, the joint expedition explored the southern shore of Lake Ontario and crossed the Niagara Peninsula at lake’s end, following the Grand River into Lake Erie. The first impression of the lake was under October gale winds, prompting Galinée to exaggerate that “there is perhaps no lake in the whole country in which the waves rise so 56 The Michigan Historical Review high because of its great depth and its great extent.”1 Erie’s weather would indeed prove their nemesis. Before forced into winter quarters near present-day Port Dover, Ontario, La Salle split from the Sulpicians, pursuing his own quest for the fabled river “Ohio.” The missionary party, now reduced to nine men in three canoes, spent a relatively comfortable winter on the north shore in what Galinée called le Paradis terrestre du Canada.2 It is not clear whether they had any Native guides at this point; an Amikwa (Nez Percé) captive obtained from the Seneca is the last mentioned by Galinée. After celebrating Easter on 6 April 1670, and with the lake still full of ice, they continued their traverse of Lake Erie. In the second week of April, after a long day’s paddling of some twenty leagues (40 miles), they reached the eastern shore of Point Pelee, a “beautiful sand beach” which today presents much the same look as it did then.3 The party was thoroughly exhausted from the day’s exertions, which caused them to leave their heavy packs on the beach and drag their canoes up to the tree line. During the night, a fierce northeaster racked the lake and a storm surge hit the beach, sweeping away much of the expedition’s equipment. Guns, ammunition, and provisions were sucked under the waves but most disastrously, their complete altar service was also lost. This altar service most likely consisted of a specially-constructed wooden case that would have opened out to present a consecrated altar stone with imbedded relics. The required Mass vessels—chalice and paten, with their vestments: the veil, pall, corporal, and purificator— would have been included, along with a crucifix, candles, and a missal, with possibly...

Harvest date and crop level influence sensory and chemical profiles of Ontario Vidal blanc and Riesling icewines

There is likelihood that periods of freezing and thawing endured by icewine grapes change their chemical and sensory profiles. The experimental objective was to determine the influence of harvest date and crop level on icewine sensory profiles and their relationships with chemical variables. Riesling and Vidal blanc (hereinafter “Vidal”) icewines were made from four harvest dates in 2004–2005; Harvest 1 (H1): 19 December; H2: 29 December; H3: 18 January; H4: 11 February (Vidal only). Riesling and Vidal icewines were additionally made from three crop level treatments [control (fully cropped), fruit set cluster thinning (i.e. partial fruit removal) to one (basal) cluster per shoot, veraison cluster thinning] and were evaluated over two seasons (2003–2004; 2004–2005). Triangle tests showed differences between harvest date and crop level treatments (both cultivars). Ten and 11 aroma/flavor attributes differed for Vidal and Riesling harvest date icewines, respectively, based upon descriptive analysis by 14 trained tasters. For Vidal, later harvest dates had higher aroma/flavor intensities than H1. Riesling H1 wines had highest fresh fruit descriptor intensities whereas H3 wines were highest for dried fruit and nutty descriptors. Partial least squares regression (PLS) found Vidal icewines described by dried fruit/raisin and honey flavors and viscosity; these attributes were correlated to several aroma compounds and associated with later harvest dates. Sensory differences existed between crop level treatments; thinned treatments had higher fruity, honey, sherry and nut aroma/flavor intensities (both cultivars). PLS showed that sherry flavor was the most important explanatory variable in 2003, and correlated 4-vinylguaiacol and banana flavor in 2004. Overall, harvest date and crop level both affected sensory profiles and chemical composition of Niagara Peninsula icewines.

A revised depositional setting for Halton sediments in the Oak Ridges Moraine area, Ontario

Outcrop and continuous core descriptions, high-resolution seismic profiling, and downhole geophysical data are integrated with detailed mapping to update sedimentary and stratigraphic frameworks for Halton sediment, a complex mud-rich lithofacies succession. Halton sediment has a gradational transition from underlying Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) sediment and can abruptly overlie Newmarket Till. Halton strata thin and fine upwards from ORM sand and gravel to graded sand, silt, and clay rhythmites, with muddy diamicton and sand and gravel interbeds. These strata fill basin lows and drape ORM sediment lobes and Newmarket Till drumlins. These distinct sedimentary units are here informally referred to as Halton formation. Formal Halton Till is a proposed subunit of Halton formation, a clay-rich diamicton mapped from Niagara Peninsula to ORM and eastward. Halton Till has traditionally been inferred to represent a late, climatically induced readvance of grounded ice from Lake Ontario basin, which deposited drumlinized till. Halton sedimentary architecture and facies are interpreted as deposition in an ice-marginal or subglacial lake bounded by Niagara Escarpment, ORM, and grounding line oscillation of a semi-buoyant ice shelf or ice lid over Lake Ontario. Large volumes of transported mud are distal equivalents of ORM high-energy gravelly sand deposits to the east. Glaciolacustrine sedimentation is indicated by mud-rich texture and laminations. Clay–silt rhythmites, diamicton interbeds, and intraclasts indicate ponding, debris flow, and periodic ice loading. Halton depositional model may apply to other muddy diamictons in Great Lakes basins. Halton formation facies are not compatible with proposed grounded ice stream events in Lake Ontario basin.

Rethinking urban political ecology from the outside in: greenbelts and boundaries in the post-suburban city

ABSTRACTThis paper engages the existing literature on Urban Political Ecology (UPE) from the perspective of regulating urban expansion through greenbelts. The paper makes a contribution to a better understanding of suburbanisation and postsuburbanisation which have so far not been at the centre of the concerns of UPE. In an era of global suburbanisation greenbelts differ from similar boundary setting exercises in the past and are as varied as the suburbanisation processes and their governance themselves. While conscious of those varieties, we focus here on the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) greenbelt in Ontario that was created by provincial legislation in 2005. With the 2005 legislation, the Ontario government declared 720,000 hectares off limits for conventional urban development. The Greenbelt Act created an expansive area under protection from the Niagara Peninsula in the south to the Bruce Peninsula in the north, the Niagara Escarpment in the west to a series of moraines in the east. We will argue that the GGH greenbelt has become a prime negotiation space for the overall re-regulation of urban political ecologies in Southern Ontario. Largely surrounding the booming Toronto region, the GGH greenbelt is expansion space and projection screen of a suburbanizing region in search of redefinition.

Nonstructural Carbohydrate Concentrations in Dormant Grapevine Scionwood and Rootstock Impact Propagation Success and Vine Growth

Objectives of this study were to quantify starch and soluble sugar concentrations in wine grape (Vitis sp.) scionwood and rootstock material, and to examine relationships between carbohydrate (CHO) metrics and both grafting success and shoot growth. CHOs of three wine grape scionwood cultivars [Merlot and Riesling (Vitis vinifera) and Vidal blanc (Vitis sp.)] harvested from four separate vineyards in the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario were analyzed for starch, total CHOs, total sugars, sucrose, monosaccharides (glucose, fructose), and oligosaccharides (raffinose, stachyose) to determine if CHO differences existed between scionwood cultivar and site, and whether these impacted propagation success when grafted to two different rootstocks [‘3309 Couderc’ (3309) and ‘101-14 Millardet et de Grasset’ (101-14) (V. riparia × V. rupestris)]. Differences in CHOs existed between vineyards for all cultivars, and their relationship with propagation success was most evident with ‘Vidal blanc’. Differences were also observed between sites for some cultivars in terms of grafting success and shoot length of grafted vines. Hot water treatment (HWT) of rootstock increased total sugars, glucose, fructose, and stachyose in 3309, and led to lower starch, total CHOs, and higher sucrose in 101-14 when measured immediately following HWT. At time of grafting, HWT 3309 had lower starch sucrose and raffinose, and higher glucose, fructose, and total sugars compared with non-HWT material, whereas HWT 101-14 contained lower total sugars, raffinose, and sucrose and higher stachyose and glucose. Stachyose, raffinose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, and total sugars in scionwood at time of grafting were correlated with propagation success. However, CHOs at time of scionwood collection in February did not correlate to successful propagation. Relationships between scion viability of all cultivars vs. stachyose and total sugars for both rootstocks suggested a possible relationship between these CHO metrics and propagation success. Differences likewise existed between propagation success on rootstocks 3309 and 101-14 on most occasions with 3309 displaying higher percent scion viability and shoot growth. This may be of particular importance in grafting difficult-to-propagate rootstock cultivars.

Sensory Analysis of Riesling Wines from Different Sub-Appellations in the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario

Potential terroir effects are described that might impact Riesling wine varietal character. In 2005, the Vintners Quality Alliance of Ontario created putative sub-appellations within the Niagara Peninsula based on soil and climate. The objective of this research was to determine differences that might validate sub-appellation designations. It was hypothesized that differences in fruit composition and wine sensory attributes would be found among these sub-appellations. This was tested in 10 commercial Riesling vineyards representative of each sub-appellation from which wines were made in 2005 and 2006. Vineyards were delineated using GPS and 75 to 80 sentinel vines were georeferenced within a sampling grid. An assumption was that vine water status would play a major role in the terroir effect; therefore, wines were made from vines of similar water status based on leaf water potential. A standard winemaking protocol was used to minimize enological effects. Descriptive analysis using a trained panel indicated that sub-appellation affected wine sensory profiles for both vintages. Thirteen aroma, flavor, and taste attributes differed among sub-appellations in 2005 and 11 aroma, flavor, and taste attributes differed in 2006. In both vintages, musts and wines also differed among sub-appellations in chemical composition (titratable acidity, pH, and free and potentially volatile terpenes). Through principal component analysis and partial least squares regression, specific sensory and chemical attributes and vineyard variables were associated with wines from the different sub-appellations. However, wines were grouped by their generalized regional designation (Lakeshore, Escarpment, or Lake Plain) within the Niagara Peninsula. Similar sensory profiles were found in these appellations, suggesting wines classified by their place of origin on the Niagara Peninsula should exhibit specific varietal characteristics regardless of growing season.

Use of remote sensing to understand the terroir of the Niagara Peninsula. Applications in a Riesling vineyard

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Aim:</strong> The purpose of this study was to determine if multispectral high spatial resolution airborne imagery could be used to segregate zones in vineyards to target fruit of highest quality for premium winemaking. We hypothesized that remotely sensed data would correlate with vine size and leaf water potential (ψ), as well as with yield and berry composition.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods and results:</strong> Hypotheses were tested in a 10-ha Riesling vineyard [Thirty Bench Winemakers, Beamsville (Ontario)]. The vineyard was delineated using GPS and 519 vines were geo-referenced. Six sub-blocks were delineated for study. Four were identified based on vine canopy size (low, high) with remote sensing in 2005. Airborne images were collected with a four-band digital camera every 3-4 weeks over 3 seasons (2007-2009). Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values (NDVI-red, green) and greenness ratio were calculated from the images. Single-leaf reflectance spectra were collected to compare vegetation indices (VIs) obtained from ground-based and airborne remote-sensing data. Soil moisture, leaf ψ, yield components, vine size, and fruit composition were also measured. Strong positive correlations were observed between VIs and vine size throughout the growing season. Vines with higher VIs during average to dry years had enhanced fruit maturity (higher °Brix and lower titratable acidity). Berry monoterpenes always had the same relationship with remote sensing variables regardless of weather conditions.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Remote sensing images can assist in delineating vineyard zones where fruit will be of different maturity levels, or will have different concentrations of aroma compounds. Those zones could be considered as sub-blocks and processed separately to make wines that reflect those terroir differences. Strongest relationships between remotely sensed VIs and berry composition variables occurred when images were taken around veraison.</p><strong>Significance and impact of the study:</strong> Remote sensing may be effective to quantify spatial variation in grape flavour potential within vineyards, in addition to characteristics such as water status, yield, and vine size. This study was unique by employing remote sensing in cover-cropped vineyards and using protocols for excluding spectral reflectance contributed by inter-row vegetation.

Remembering 1812 in the 1840s: John Richardson and the Writing of the War

Soldier, traveller, writer, and journalist John Richardson’s 1840 history of the War of 1812, along with his novel, The Canadian Brothers, also published in 1840, were some of the first written efforts by Upper Canadians to craft histories of the conflict. Richardson drew heavily on his own experiences as a young soldier during this time, mixing autobi­ ography and documentary sources to craft his history; he also drew on his childhood in the Windsor-Detroit area for his novel. His work drew attention to the conflict in the southwestern area of the colony, a region at times overlooked in the War’s public memory in favour of the Niagara peninsula. Richardson’s accounts of the War of 1812 are notable for a number of reasons. Richardson himself was a highly mobile figure in the imperial and transatlantic world of the British military: his writings are part of the context of broader discussions of the Napoleonic Wars. Equally importantly, Richardson’s­ work highlights the effects of war on men’s bodies and their deployment in wartime struggle. His history and novel tell us much about discourses of masculinity in wartime, both European and Indigenous.

J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur's Niagara:

Abstract Working from Crèvecoeur's two accounts of visits to the Niagara peninsula, together with the two maps accompanying those narratives, this essay argues that Crèvecoeur never visited the area during the years he claims, 1785 and 1789. Although the narratives thus reflect the centuries-old convention of the traveler/explorer as liar, more significantly they reveal Crèvecoeur's substantial reworking of the received eighteenth-century response to the natural sublime. Both the 1785 Letter to his son and the longer retelling of his supposed 1789 visit in A Journey into Northern Pennsylvania and the State of New York predictably record an initial, expected reaction to the Falls as involving astonishment, horror, and fear of annihilation, but each subsequently carries the experiencing subject beyond this to a rather different conclusion. Anticipating the Romantic period's transformation of the terrifying sublime into a transcendent experience of the beautiful, both the Letter and the Journey transport the subject to a higher state of perception wherein “our feelings are harmonized into placid contemplation.”

An Application for Regional Coastal Erosion Processes in Urban Areas: A Case Study of the Golden Horseshoe in Canada

Urban growth has had unprecedented consequences on environmental sustainability and anthropogenic activity. The eroding coastlines throughout the world are subject to the massive expansion of urban areas and the accountability of sustainable hinterland landscapes. The Golden Horseshoe is Canada’s fastest growing region extending from the Niagara Peninsula and one of the most active economic regions in North America. This paper adopts a combined assessment of land use change and transitions in the coastal stretches of the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Comprising the urban expansion of the region between 1990 and 2011, an integrated assessment was carried out to: (i) detect changes in coastal lines along Lake Ontario; (ii) derive land use changes along the coast through spatial accounting matrices; and (iii) integrate climate change data for a combined assessment of future erosion loci. Visible erosion was found between the decade of 1990 and 2000, while certain areas have shown coastal recession in the southern region. The maximum recession was found to be 30 m, with an increasing urban sprawl of 19.8% between 1990 and 2000. A combined temperature increase of 2 °C over the coming decades brings the increase in urban heat islands leading to the importance of combined land policies to mitigate the common problem of erosion in vulnerable urban stretches and liveability concerning spatial resilience of growing urban regions in North America.

The influence of bird netting on yield and fruit, juice, and wine composition of <em>Vitis vinifera</em> L.

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Aims</strong>: To investigate the impact of semi-permanent bird netting and timing of its application on Cabernet franc grapevine yield components and fruit, juice, and wine composition.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods and results</strong>: Semi-permanent bird netting was installed over Cabernet franc grapevines at various times – post-bloom, bunch closure, and veraison – of the 2004 growing season in the Niagara Peninsula of Canada. At harvest, vine yield components were measured followed by berry and must compositional analysis of soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity (TA), color, and polyphenols. Wines made from these grapes were also analyzed (pH, TA, color, and polyphenols). It was found that installation of bird netting over grapevines had minimal effect on yield components and berry composition regardless of when the nets were installed. Must composition revealed significant decreases in soluble solids, pH, and color as a result of the netting, the least impact being when the nets were applied at post-bloom. Wine composition was similar to the must data with the netted treatments resulting in lower pH, higher TA, and decreased color. Total anthocyanins and polyphenols were slightly reduced as a result of the netting.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusions</strong>: Minimal impact of bird netting on yield, fruit, must and wine quality is a positive finding since netting is becoming more prevalent in vineyards worldwide due to changing migratory patterns of birds. It is recommended that netting be applied around post-bloom for the ease of application, to minimize shading effects, which could lead to decreased fruit quality, and to maintain yield.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Significance and impact of the study</strong>: Use of bird netting is becoming more prevalent by grape growers worldwide due to changing migratory patterns of birds that feed on grapes. This study shows that bird netting is not detrimental to yield and fruit and wine quality especially when applied early in the growing season.</p>

Impact of Exogenous Abscisic Acid on Vine Physiology and Grape Composition of Cabernet Sauvignon

In the Niagara Peninsula, cool years delay veraison, thus shortening the growing season and adversely affecting grape maturity. Exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) could potentially hasten veraison, and improve grape composition in cool and wet years. Two experiments were conducted in a Cabernet Sauvignon block in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, in 2008 and 2009. Both years were characterized by higher than average rainfall and lower temperatures. The first experiment was initiated one week preveraison and consisted of four treatments applied three times at two-week intervals: an untreated control and 300 mg ABA/L applied to the full canopy, clusters only, and leaves only. The second experiment had three treatments: 0 (control), 150, and 300 mg ABA/L applied to clusters only. In both years, the control still had clusters with 20% green berries two to four weeks after experiment initiation. Following treatment, berries had a lower ABA uptake rate than leaves. Both ABA rates hastened the onset of veraison. In both years the transpiration rate, leaf Ψ, and fruit composition were most affected in the leaves-only and whole canopy treatments. At harvest, Brix was higher and the berry weight was lower in the ABA treatments than the control. Total anthocyanins and total phenols also increased in most ABA treatments. Berries from clusters treated with the highest ABA rate showed a higher red-blue color intensity and also had highest anthocyanins and phenols content compared to berries from other treatments. The treated vines showed enhancement in individual anthocyanins and acetylated anthocyanins, with significant changes in the ratios of cyanidin, petunidin, and malvidin occurring among the treatments. Exogenous ABA was effective in accelerating onset of veraison and improving the grape composition of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Odor Potency of Aroma Compounds in Riesling and Vidal blanc Table Wines and Icewines by Gas Chromatography–Olfactometry–Mass Spectrometry

This study aimed to elucidate the odor potency of aroma compounds in Riesling and Vidal blanc (syn. Vidal) table wines and icewines from the Niagara Peninsula using stir bar sorptive extraction-gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry. Dilution analysis determined the most odor-potent compounds in Vidal and Riesling icewines (n = 2) and table wines (n = 2) from a commercial producer. The top 15 odor-potent compounds in each wine were identified and quantified, resulting in 23 and 24 compounds for Riesling and Vidal, respectively. The most odor-potent compounds were β-damascenone, decanal, 1-hexanol, 1-octen-3-ol, 4-vinylguaiacol, ethyl hexanoate, and ethyl 3-methylbutyrate. In general, icewines had higher concentrations of most aroma compounds compared to table wines. Through computation of odor activity values, the compounds with the highest odor activity for the icewines were β-damascenone, 1-octen-3-ol, ethyl octanoate, cis-rose oxide, and ethyl hexanoate. In table wines the highest odor activity values were found for ethyl octanoate, β-damascenone, ethyl hexanoate, cis-rose oxide, ethyl 3-methylbutyrate, and 4-vinylguaiacol. These findings provide a foundation to determine impact odorants in icewines and the effects of viticultural and enological practices on wine aroma volatile composition.

Epic Triumph, Epic Embarrassment, or Both?

Widely divergent national and local historiographies about the War of 1812 have been created on both sides of the Canadian/American border. This has special significance for the Niagara region, where the two belligerents directly confronted and still confront each other. On the Canadian side of the Niagara River, the Niagara Peninsula has been transformed into a center of regional and national pride. Military leaders, troops and battles are celebrated and events commemorated in a grandiose and triumphant manner. Across the river, Western New York has largely downplayed or outright ignored its role in the very same conflict, to fit in with both the national and local amnesia surrounding the war and the region’s self-conceptualization as a “good neighbour”. This article focuses on public commemorations on both sides of the Niagara to uncover the historical, geographic, economic and demographic explanations as to why the war has been transformed into an epic victory for some, a defeat for others, and an embarrassment best ignored for many.

Consumption dynamics and demographics of Canadian wine consumers: Retailing insights from the tasting room channel

This study facilitates a better understanding of the socio-demographics and consumption dynamics of wine consumers using the retailing ‘platform’ of the winery tasting room with them as visitors to it in a wine region environment. The overall aim was to gain some insights on gender and age generation-related consumer behaviour, wine type preferences, and their link to retail channel behaviour. Systematic random sampling yielded a total of 659 useable surveys collected at various tasting rooms in the Niagara Peninsula Wine Region in Ontario, Canada. Specific differences exist in the wine consumption behaviour and wine type preferences of males and females and between generational cohorts, specifically Millennial and older consumers. Whereas females and males do not differ much in quantity consumed and spend on wine, they do differ greatly in wine type consumption with females drinking significantly more white and males more red wine. Wine type consumption was shown to be moderated by not only classical demographic variables, but also by the retail outlets preferred for wine purchase. Females buy more of their wine from foodservice on-trade retail outlets such as restaurants, while Millennials frequent the tasting room channel much less than older consumers. There are strong indications that the higher the wine tourism activity level, the higher the wine consumption (usage) level of the consumers. It is possible to direct marketing strategies at wine consumers in accordance with their gender and lifecycle stage as far as certain behavioural and sensory aspects of the product is concerned. The winery tasting room is the most obvious retail channel vehicle to reach people with high tourism activity factor levels who also happen to be the high usage consumers in the wine market.