FIRST VINIFERA VINES IN ONTARIO
by Professor Hrayr Berberoglu.

December 31, 2007


When Vikings reached the shores of North America around 1000 A.D., they sighted wild vines and called the regions Vineland. Wild vitis labrusca, vitis riparia and vitis rotundifolia grape family fruit were thriving, and to some extent even today still thrive on the eastern shores of both the U S A and Canada.

Between the Vikings and first French settlers of New France, vines remained productive as they were in the past millennia.

When the French settlers arrived in Quebec and started to practise their religion, wine was needed for communion. Religious orders experimented with native grapes and did their best to produce acceptable wine, but to no avail. They were forced to abandon their efforts.

Much later, Corporal Johann Schiller opened a winery in Cooksville, Ontario (1811) reportedly producing fine wines. A few others joined him in wine production in the same city but their efforts were unsuccessful, no doubt due to excessive fruitiness of vitis labrusca and vitis riparia grape varieties.

The “foxy” smell is the result of a component of such grape varieties called methyl anthranilate, which consumers find overwhelming.

Then the province of Ontario decided to establish the Horticultural Research Station in Vineland to determine the most suitable labrusca hybrids. Scientists around 1930’s never thought of researching the winterhardiness of vines in Ontario. Instead, they were still focusing their research on hybrids.

After the Second World War, Reverend Paul Grath brought cuttings from the Vatican where he was imprisoned and forced to maintain the gardens. But none of the cuttings thrived.

Soon after J. Violante, a St Catharine’s grower and C.S. Kerimoff, a Bulgarian, urged the provincial government officials to import Bulgarian vines claiming that they could survive the harsh winters during which the temperatures oscillate between – 20 and – 30 C.

While these efforts were not particularly successful, T.G. Bright’s (now part of Vincor) research director was farsighted enough to convince management to at least plant a few acres (at the time Canada was still on imperial measurements) of selected vitis vinifera varieties.

By early 1950’s at Bright’s Warnerhof Experimental Farm on the 6th concession in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a few acres of vinifera cuttings from France were finally planted. There is no record of how the resulting wines tasted.

Shortly after this the Parkdale Farm on Highway 8 (RR 81) near Kelson Road planted a few acres. Today, the vineyards are within a subdivision and farmed by the Speranzini family. This 100-acre farm was part of the Turner Winery, then Parkdale, Chateau Gai, Andres, grower Vince Lenart and now Speranzini who owns and runs the Willow Heights Winery.

Between Grimsby and Fruitland there are still some vinifera vineyards dating back to 1940’s; these were planted to gamay.

Towards the end of 1950’s Johnny Marynissen, a Dutch immigrant, planted vinifera vines on his farm just behind the Inniskillin Winery on the Niagara Parkway. While scientists were still focusing on hybrids, European farmers intuitively knew that vinifera vines could thrive in the region, and contrary to accepted belief, proved highly-paid researchers wrong.

Today’s thriving vitivinicultural industry in Niagara is living proof of contrarians who persisted and succeeded.

Hrayr Berberoglu took early retirement after lecturing on restaurant management and conducting wine, beer and spirits seminars for over a quarter of a century.

Now he consults and writes to increase wine, beer and liquor awareness. He conducts seminars and would be pleased to consider your requests. To peruse the list of his published books and order please contact him at hirayrberberoglu_3@sympatico.ca

Hryar Berberoglu www.littlefatwino.com