[Growwine] Glenda's story

[Glenda Baker]

Hi Mark, 

 

The 2 Russian varieties I have are Baltica (black) and Skujins 675 (white).
I did not expose (by leaf pull) any of these grapes and the birds didn't
touch them.

 

I also want to point out to all on the list that I tested the acidity of the
Frontenac 4 times with different kits, and it was ok, 9% TA, however I still
put  the wine through malolactic  fermentation since I really wasn't
confident that the results were correct,  all the literature comments on the
high acidity of Frontenac .I now have a weak tasting wine. Could it be that
Frontenac's acidity is reduced when grown in organic soils (think bog, marsh
ie Holland Marsh in Ontario, not organic by me adding things), as opposed to
growing in a mineral soil, that, in combination with a fairly long coolish
growing season ? Frontenac is the one grape I grow that my niece (8 yrs now)
eats as a table grape, she has for the past 3 years now which also leads me
to believe the acidity is low.

 

I will find out soon enough I suppose since most of the crown land I now
have is mineral soil.

 

Glenda 

 

From: growwine-bounces at littlefatwino.com
[mailto:growwine-bounces at littlefatwino.com] On Behalf Of Mark Hart
Sent: March 20, 2008 7:19 AM
To: growwine at littlefatwino.com
Subject: Re: [Growwine] Glenda's story

 

Very nice write-up.

 

White Baltica?

 

Mark

On Mar 19, 2008, at 10:32 PM, Larry Paterson wrote:





Also forwarded by Dave Gamble of Canadian Grapes to Wine, the story about
the Good Witch of the North, Glenda...

 

 

Lardy

 

Larry Paterson, lfw, rd, adcc
(Little Fat Wino, Roving Drunk, Alcohol Distribution Channels Critic)

 

http://www.littlefatwino.com/

 

************************************************

Last year we featured an article on Dark Cove Vineyard at Gambo,
Newfoundland which enjoys relatively mild winters in a terroir that can
support Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as well as hybrid varieties.

  Glenda Baker said that this winter "a ton of snow" helped protect the
vines though typically the temperatures were not that bad, reaching -23C.
once or twice. The latest news from Newfoundland is that the provincial
agriculture department is about to take an active part in the development of
a Newfoundland grape growing industry. Glenda said that the department will
assist in the development of a new vineyard which they will establish on a
grant of 44.5 acres of crown land in nearby Smaller Dark Cove Bay. Glenda's
established 5 acre test vineyard is located a few kilometers away at
Freshwater Bay, also at Gambo.

  The initial planting of the new vineyard will cover 20 acres which the
department will help clear and prepare. Drawing from the success of
varieties in the test vineyard, the new block will include Pinot Noir which
does very well, as well as Chardonnay which Glenda finds is even more winter
hardy than Pinot Noir, though it needs all the time it can get to reach full
ripeness and sugar levels. Other winning candidates inlcude the hybrids
David MacGregor, a derivitive of Merlot which easily reaches Brix 20, and
Frontenac which is a huge success in Quebec.

  As an example of how varieties express themselves differently in different
terroirs, Glenda said that in Newfoundland, unlike Quebec, Frontenac's acid
levels are low. Last year she said it came in at .9 T/A, and after
malolactic fermentation it was softer than she would have liked. This year,
no more ml for Frontenac.

  Among the white varieties will be the ES8 243 hybrid and Deslile which
ripens quickly with high sugar levels. Others include the Russian varieties
black and white Baltica which ripen in August! Last year Glenda did not
leaf-pull these two varieties and the birds didn't see the early ripening
fruit.

  Meanwhile, Glenda is often called on to help others in the district who
are interested in getting into grape growing. A nearby fruit winery has
expressed interest in adding grape wines to its list, and this fall they
will likely receive fruit from the Dark Cove vineyard.

www.dccw.ca

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