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WineEastNews t. Catharines, Ontario—If you are a grapegrower, do you know how ac- climated your vines are to the cold? Soon, grapegrowers in Ontario will have a new tool to help them understand the cold hardiness of their vines and determine when to use their wind machines to protect their grapevines against winter injury. Researchers at Brock University's Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) in St. Catharines developed a database called VineAlert to provide growers with information about the level of grape- vine hardiness for different varieties at dif- ferent locations during the dormant season. Sampling will take place throughout the dormant season—from vine acclimation in the fall, to maximum hardiness in winter, to de-acclimation in the spring. Starting this fall, samples of Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc, the most widely planted white and Cold-Hardy Grapevine Data Debuts S Ontario program will help grapegrowers protect vineyards red vinifera varieties, will be taken within the 10 sub-appellations of the Niagara Peninsula from late October to mid-April. As the project gets under way, other grape varieties will be added, and the sampling extended to Lake Erie North Shore and Prince Edward County. Matthew Speck, viticulturist at 75,000- case Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery in St. Catharines, called the VineAlert project the most exciting new initiative in recent years. "Understanding the elements of bud hardiness and bud survival rates in a given year is the foundation of good viticul- tural management in Ontario." Information from the VineAlert database will be posted on the CCOVI website at brocku.ca/ccovi. Growers who sign up for "My Alert" can receive up-to-date informa- tion on location, time, cultivar and notices about winter injury. "Understanding bud hardiness and bud survival rates is the foundation of good viticultural management." viticulturist Matthew speck Funding for the database is part of the CAD$1.4 million from Agriculture and Agri- Food Canada's Developing Innovative Agri- Products initiative. An additional $475,000 was contributed by the Ontario wine industry. —Hudson Cattell SpiritedShipper_Dir11.qxp 10/6/10 10:52 U.S. Patent Numbers 5,730,289 & 5,967,294 • All our shippers are made with extra cushioning to prevent breakage THE ORIGINAL SHIPPER • UPS & FEDEX approved • For spirited shipments up to 12 bottles • Magnum size shippers up to 6 bottles • Fits bottles up to 5"diameter to 16"tall • Costs less, more durable than styrofoam • Gift Boxes •Gift Bags •Wooden Gift Boxes 100% ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY – GO GREEN! spiritedshipper.com 800-730-SHIP (7447) 108 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2011