Inconsistent weather spells a slow start for Niagara’s grape harvest

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A lack of rain means wineries expect smaller berries and lighter clusters in vineyards.

Winemakers in Niagara will begin harvest next week, starting with early ripening red hybrid varieties and for sparkling wines. It’s a later start than recent years due to the shifting temperatures experienced in August, from hot and dry to unseasonably cool conditions that delayed ripening.

“You’re never quite ready for it, so that extra week is welcome,” says Emma Garner, director of winemaking in Ontario for Andrew Peller Ltd., who also serves as head winemaker for Trius and Thirty Bench.

Emma Garner has been working in the Niagara industry for more than 20 years.

A cooler-than-usual spring meant a slow start to the growing season, but warm temperatures in June and July got vineyards b