The wine industry

[DarthFader1]

Hello friends

I thought we could start a tokers den thread on anything wine related and going into the wine industry.

See, with current legislation as it is(non US here), darth has been riding the lightning for a number of years now, so as insurance i have decided to go back to school to study winemaking and grape growing. I have already started my study with the end goal of obtaining an advanced qualification that will lead into a career of being a winemaker (assistant at first), or running the vineyard.

I already had a degree when i started this so i was probably overconfident going into the study. Chemistry is kicking my ass!!

Would love to hear any stories or experiences from IC peeps regarding wine & the industry.

One fascinating thing i have found so far is that the breeding of grapes worldwide has barely had the surface scratched on it, because of many reasons, one of which is how long in time it takes to run a breeding program of any substance. Growers just end up running a lot of clones & rootstock because its easier and more reliable (exactly like the weed industry!)

Heaps of other cool stuff to learn anyway, im really looking forward to learning more and eventually start working in this field. Although the sweet weed plant will always be my number 1 plant, for life!

 

[MJPassion]

Though I know nearly nothing about the wine industry I do enjoy a bottle once in a great while.

I too am having issues with chemistry...
Can't afford school so going through a text book on my own.

I need it to help make sense of soil chemistry.
My goal is to be able to interpret soil sample test results & calculate the various elemental inputs.

Good luck with your studies.

 

[armedoldhippy]

"clones and rootstock..." there's an idea ! instead of keeping 5 or 6 (or however many) mothers, keep one alive with different branches grafted onto a single stalk/ root system. hey, it works with apples! hmmmm... multiple types of bud off of one SCROG. one answer to plant count limits.

 

[LEF]

Info about icewine

Canada is the largest icewine producer in the world, last year 2.5 million bottles worth $70 million retail. People relate to Canada as a top Icewine producer due to our extreme Canadian winters. It makes sense to them that we would make it. Canada’s top international awards are dominated by Icewine.

Why is China, not the US, Canada’s highest export market for icewine?

There are many theories, among them that our closeness to the US makes us and our products less exotic to Americans. The distance and the unknown aspect of a winter harvest makes our harvest and icewine more mysterious for the Chinese.

Further, the Chinese are more interested in the taste profile of the concentrated, rich icewine wines than Americans, and are willing to pay for it. They are impressed with the international awards and the prestige that accompanies icewine and they have a much stronger gifting culture.

And last but not least
Provincial (quebec/french canada) problems with ice wine
(Quebec allows for picking of grapes befre -8 deg celcius plus use of nets to hold grapes that have fallen)
Long read, but for those interested in learning new stuff, this is recent info, feb 26

February 26, 2015 15:11 ET

Winemakers Reject Quebec Icewine Standard
OTTAWA, ON--(Marketwired - February 26, 2015) - The Canadian Vintners Association (CVA), representing over 90% of all wine produced in Canada and almost 100% of Canada's genuine Icewine production, and Vignerons Indépendants du Québec (VIQ) are deeply disappointed in the Québec government's new Icewine certification system for "Vin de Glace du Québec." The recently announced Québec standard effectively lowers the bar for the production of Icewine in Québec and fails to meet Canadian and internationally accepted Icewine production practices.
Canada is the global leader in the production, sale and export of Icewine, producing 90% of the world's authentic Icewine. To help combat counterfeit products, as well as meet international trade obligations, the Government of Canada passed Icewine Regulation (SOR/2014-10) in February 2014. A key requirement of the federal standard is that Icewine is made exclusively from "grapes naturally frozen on the vine." This is a fundamental in Icewine production, upheld by wine-producing countries around the world and supported by the International Organization of Wine and Vine (OIV).

"Industry celebrated the passing of the federal Icewine standard last year," stated Dan Paszkowski, CVA President and CEO. "It is shocking that the Québec government and its accrediting body, Conseil des appellations réservées et des termes valorisants (CARTV), is permitting the harvesting of grapes before they are naturally frozen on the vine, falling short of the federal standard and all international standards for Icewine. This risks the reputation of authentic and globally respected Icewine producers from coast to coast."

In Canada, provincial governments have the responsibility for on-farm production. Unfortunately, the Québec government is allowing grapes to be harvested before the grapes are naturally frozen on the vine. The harvested grapes are then placed in outdoor nets, hanging for weeks or months, until the temperature drops to -8°C or lower.

"This practice is unacceptable. The VIQ asserts that authentic Icewine production is both possible in Québec and essential for building customer confidence," stated Charlotte Reason, VIQ President, representing more than 40 Québec wine industry members.

Some vineyards argue that the early harvest and netting is required, due to inclement weather and heavy snowfall. Icewine is the most extreme form of winemaking in the world and all Canadian wineries operate in harsh winter conditions to produce a drop of "liquid gold." However, both Environment Canada data and genuine Icewine producers in Québec confirm that it is possible to harvest grapes at temperatures below -8°C with minimal snow cover at harvest.
John Antony, a member of VIQ and winemaker at Chapelle Ste. Agnes, located in Sutton, Québec, states, "Our winery is completely committed to meeting the Canadian and global standards for this iconic product."

"Icewine is a true Canadian premium wine product, and we will maintain the highest standards and harvest our grapes only when they are naturally frozen on the vine, not clipped from the roots beforehand. Our consumers deserve no less," concluded Mr. Antony.

Canada is known around the world as a leader in the production of genuine Icewine, representing one-third of Canada's annual wine export sales value. It is imperative that the "Vin de glace du Québec" standard be amended to meet the federal definition and international Icewine standards, as inaction will erode consumer confidence and effectively undermine our reputation, with longstanding negative competitive implications for the Québec and Canadian wine industry.

 

[stoned-trout]

bunch of snobby fucks ...I did a wine tasting with the old lady once ..it was a nightmare for me..i couldn't detect any subtle tones flavors ect...I was like yup theres grapes in here..sweet, sour, dry,. fruity was about my extent of comments...I got really hammered and wanted to leave ...hated it snobby pricks..i can easily drink a gallon of wine...grew up with Portuguese wine......yeehaw

 

[armedoldhippy]

making & drinking white wines is the sum of my experience, although I made some using pink Catawba grapes once that was great. most wine I make gets run through a still for "medicinal" purposes...

 

[stoned-trout]

your supposed to claim its fuel...yeehaw

 

[vostok]

Hello friends

I thought we could start a tokers den thread on anything wine related and going into the wine industry.

See, with current legislation as it is(non US here), darth has been riding the lightning for a number of years now, so as insurance i have decided to go back to school to study winemaking and grape growing. I have already started my study with the end goal of obtaining an advanced qualification that will lead into a career of being a winemaker (assistant at first), or running the vineyard.

I already had a degree when i started this so i was probably overconfident going into the study. Chemistry is kicking my ass!!

Would love to hear any stories or experiences from IC peeps regarding wine & the industry.

One fascinating thing i have found so far is that the breeding of grapes worldwide has barely had the surface scratched on it, because of many reasons, one of which is how long in time it takes to run a breeding program of any substance. Growers just end up running a lot of clones & rootstock because its easier and more reliable (exactly like the weed industry!)

Heaps of other cool stuff to learn anyway, im really looking forward to learning more and eventually start working in this field. Although the sweet weed plant will always be my number 1 plant, for life!

I too looked into this thinking of diverting my canna skills, but for me was a disaster, and was 5-10 years too late, the local wine industry throws cash at recruitment times to run courses, but for now there is one huge wine mountain to climb, with wine going cheap everywhere ./.

 

[rastas]

Wine is divine! I prefer red when its winter, warm me up from inside when its cold and dark. Once spring comes crawling I change to white wine. Absolute favorite grapes are gewürztraminer (white) and merlot (red). I like my wine as I like her shantiness, organic! Wine has her own spirit, and the 'high' is way different when comparing to beer or liquors. Wine culture is often misunderstood and therefore seen snobbish, just like cannabis culture is in its own way misunderstood/mislead for criminal activity.

@stoned-trout ... Wine tasting, I understand your point. But what if we had an opportunity to sit down and taste 10 different strains of connoisseur quality ganja at the same time, while sitting down, relaxing and conversing, and of course analyzing the strains from top to bottom. Ok, we got coffee shops in Amsterdam, you can do it there. But I mean the possibility everywhere and for everyone, and someone conducting the experiment and getting paid. Wouldn't that be seen snobbish by some people outside of the culture?