Science uncorked

By Kenneth Pastushyn

 

More than 100 people turned up at the University of Windsor’s faculty of science lecture at the Art Gallery of Windsor to learn about science and wine.

From Ice Age to Ice Wine was the first of four Science Uncorked lectures co-sponsored by the Essex Pelee Island Coast Wineries held Sept. 14.

“Under the influence of wine, your interest in science will sparkle,” said Chris Houser, dean of the faculty of science at the University of Windsor, raising his glass of red wine for a toast.

Alan Trenhaile and Maria Cioppa in the earth and enviroment sciences department at the university both gave 25 minute presentations.

“I’m not a wine person,” said Trenhaile. “Wine to me is what I drink when I run out of beer.”

Trenhaile said he is a Newcastle Brown Ale expert. He is an expert on geology. Trenhaile said every environment produces unique wines tied to a geographical area. It has to do with soil, climate and the culture of wine making. Trenhaile talked about the Ice Age of five million years ago when Windsor and Essex County was covered in ice.

He said glacier sediments were deposited where the vines are now grown and the clay we see today was formed under the ice. Most of Essex County was a large lake.

From lakes there are deltas and the sandy deposits of deltas are important in wine making because delta deposits are very sandy and sand is crucial for grape growing.

In Essex County, grapes for North 42 Degrees Estate Winery are grown on a mixture of sand, soil and clay. Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards grapes are grown on sand and Muscedere Vinyards on clay.

“We have three types of soil and the conclusion is that you can grow grapes in any condition,” said Scott Wilkins from Dancing Swallows vineyard in Amherstburg. “If you grow on sand, its more citrusy and sweeter. If you grow on clay, it’s a honey spice flavor like tropical fruit.”

Climate specialist Maria Cioppa said Essex County benefits from being in the “banana belt of Canada.” Cioppa also looked at temperature, climate and altitude. Windsor is in the same Latitude as Northern California.

“A warmer climate has higher alcohol content and berry flavours like Northern California,” said Cioppa. “The Colchester area is a great location because there are 300 growing days a year.”

Cioppa looked back at area weather patterns.

“In 2011 it was extremely wet. In 2014 and 2015 the vines froze because they were polar vortex years. Its not just the conditions in the growing season, but winters as well,” said Cioppa. “We also look at the changes in precipitation. We just had two consecutive 200 year floods which suggests we will see more extremes.”

The earth and sciences department of the university is trying to help the wine industry with these future challenges.