The World of Niagara Wine

The World of Niagara Wine is a transdisciplinary exploration of the Niagara wine industry that celebrates and critiques the local wine industry and situates it in a complex web of Old World traditions and New World reliance on technology, science, and taste as well as global processes and local sociocultural reactions.

In the first section, contributors explore the history and regulation of wine production as well as its contemporary economic significance. The second section focuses on the entrepreneurship behind and the promotion and marketing of Niagara wines. The third introduces readers to the science of grape growing, wine tasting, and wine production, and the final section examines the social and cultural ramifications of Niagara’s increasing reliance on grapes and wine as an economic motor for the region. Preface by Konrad Ejbich.

1

The Early History of Wine Making in Niagara

Alun Hughes

Alun Hughes explores the history of grape growing and wine production in the Niagara region, revising accepted accounts of the origins of Ontario wine, using extensive archival research.

2

From Prohibition to Baby Duck

Dan Malleck

Dan Malleck offers analysis of the regulations around wine productions and consumption. Wine was privileged over other alcoholic beverages, demonstrating the government’s affinity for a nascent wine industry.

3

The Growing Place of Wine in the Economic Development of the Niagara Region

Christopher Fullerton

Christopher Fullerton provides an overview of the direct and indirect benefits to the Niagara region that have accrued in conjunction with the industry’s growth. Then cautions that land use and economic development mechanisms must  be in place to sustain this growth.

4

The History of the VQA

Linda Bramble

Linda Bramble writes a brief history of the Vintners’ Quality Alliance of Ontario appellation system. In particular she is concerned with wine regulation, in the after math of the 1988 free trade agreement and the Harris Government’s desire to de-regulate the industry.

5

Niagara Wines in the Marketplace

Astrid Brummer

Astrid Brummer paints a picture of the position of Ontario wines in the LCBO market, of which Niagara wines make up a large portion. She argues that VQA wines are of the few sectors of the industry that have experienced overall net sales and volume growth since the recession.

6

Ontario Wine Region’s Search for Identity

Maxim Voronov and Dirk de Clerq

Maxim Voronov and Dirk de Clerq propose new directions for the positioning of Ontario wines in the market place. They explore the pros and cons of old world versus new world wine marketing.

7

A Geospatial Perspective on Wine Production in the Niagara Region

Marilyne Jollineau and Victoria Tasker

Marilyne Jollineau and Victoria Tasker argue that geospatial technologies can complement traditional field methods of data collection.  They contend that such precision viticulture informs vineyard management decisions.

8

The Niagara Peninsula Appellation: A Climatic Analysis of Canada’s Largest Wine Region

Anthony Shaw

Anthony Shaw examines the Niagara as a cool climate wine region. He suggests that climactic factors provide benefits as well as limitation for viticulture in the region.

9

The Wine-Growing Soils of Niagara

Darryl Dagesse

Darryl Dagesse considers soil science in relation to oenology and viticulture. He traces the development of Niagara’s grape growing soils back to periods of glaciation and de-glaciation.

10

Viticultural and Vineyard Management Practices and Their Effects on Grape and Wine Quality

Andy Reynolds

Andy Reynolds chapter focuses on those aspects of viticulture, beyond soil- and climate-related concerns, that influence the composition of grapes and the subsequent quality of the wines they are used to make. Indeed, the results of his research suggest that fruit exposure, canopy manipulation, pre-fermentation practices, and vineyard site may all play important roles in shaping the aroma and taste of wines.

11

The Language of Taste

Ronald Jackson

Ronald Jackson argues that personal taste is the only true indicator of the quality of a wine, despite the distraction of “price, prestige and provenance.” He provides detailed advice on how best to enjoy Niagara wines.

12

Vintning on Thin Ice: The Making of Canada’s Iconic Dessert Wine

Debbie Inglis and Gary Pickering

Debbie Inglis and Gary Pickering provide a primer on icewine production in Niagara. They demonstrate how icewine has solidified the region’s reputation as home to internationally acclaimed wines.

13

The Evolution of Wine and Culinary Tourism in Niagara

David Telfer and Atsuko Hashimoto

David Telfer and Atsuko Hashimoto contend that Niagara wine and regional food are part of an extensive re-branding of Niagara. The review both benefits and challenges associated with this transformation.

14

Conflict in the Countryside: Securing the Land Base for the Wine Industry

Hugh Gayler

Hugh Gayler recounts the highly contentious land-use planning process  as it pertains to the local grape growing economy. In particular, he highlights the introduction of the Greenbelt legislation as a defining moment in the long-standing effort to protect Niagara’s agricultural lands.

15

The Niagara Wine Festival’s Grande Parade: The Public Geography of a “Grape and Wine” Controversy

Phillip Gordon Mackintosh

Phillip Gordon Mackintosh looks at the Niagara Wine Festival’s Annual Grape and Wine  and questions whether its use of public space is in the best interest of Niagarans, who fear that the parade and festival no longer represent them.

16

Wine as Heritage: Exploring the Roots of Wine Heritage in Niagara

Michael Ripmeester and Russell Johnston

Michael Ripmeester and Russell Johnston engage the ways in which Niagarans have assimilated grapes and wines into heritage narratives. They argue that Niagarans view this relationship ambivalently as they see themselves excluded from grape and wine events.

17

Constructing Authenticity: Architecture and Landscape in Niagara Wineries

Nicolas Baxter-Moore and Caroline Charest

Nicolas Baxter-Moore and Caroline Charest explore the ways in which wineries use their material form to convey authenticity to their visitors. They suggest that this is in response to wine drinkers’ desire to consume, and identify with, “real” products and experiences.