Weather and wine
P.E.I. wineries facing low grape crops and production after 2023 weather
Wineries across P.E.I. were left with significant losses after a cold and rainy 2023 left some wineries and distilleries with disappointing harvests and lost vines.
From a February 2023 cold snap and spring drought to a downpour in the fall, grapevines destined for the wine barrel turned in a sorry harvest for Matos Winery & Distillery in St. Catherines.
Heather and Jaime Matos, co-owners of the business, told Saltwire that in 2023 the vineyard lost approximately half its vines, severely impacting business operations.
Heather Matos told Saltwire in an interview on March 1 that this major loss of vines will impact the winery for years to come.
“For us to put new vines in now, we would have had to have ordered them early last fall, a year in advance,” Matos said.
She explained that even after planting vines in early spring, it would be four years before grapes would be able to be harvested from them to make wine.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Numerous breeds and hybrids of wine-making grape vines are available for wineries across the world to plant and grow, and different types vary wildly with regards to cold tolerance and hardiness.
Climate change and unexpected weather fluctuations can pose a risk to less hardy grape vine types, especially if winemakers decide to risk planting varieties which prefer warmer temperatures.
The federal government offered funding to wineries impacted by the February 2023 cold snap, but the funding largely went to wineries based in Nova Scotia and Ontario.
Across P.E.I. there are only three wineries, producing a variety of local fruit, honey and traditional grape wines.
LOST VINES
Heather Matos expressed frustrations during the interview with Saltwire. Matos explained that despite her continued efforts and reaching out for help from the province throughout 2023, there did not seem to be much support available from P.E.I.
“We tried so many government people here on the Island, to inquire about the funds but nobody seemed to know or have any interest,” Matos said.
When the couple finally got news about possible funding and support, it was to say that there was no funding available for Island wineries.
“This was a hard pill to swallow, basically saying that
all our years of hard work and recognition meant nothing,” Matos said.
Matos explained Matos Winery & Distillery has not moved to replace the lost vines, and the couple is considering the long-term future of their winery.
“It is what it is, and we’re not going to be able to change it, so now we just figure out what the next step is,” Matos said.
HARVEST VARIETY
Rossignol Estate Winery in Murray River relied on decades of winemaking and a strong foundation on the Island to weather the inclemency of 2023.
As the Island’s first winery, Rossignol Estate has expanded its variety of wines to fruit and honey wines over the years.
This, John Rossignol explained to Saltwire on Feb. 23, means that almost half of the wines made at Rossignol Estate are made without the use of grapes. The winery grows both grapes and apple trees, sourcing the rest of its fruit from Island growers.
“We did not have a grape industry on Prince Edward Island when we first began, so I started making fruit wines right off the bat, and that has proven to be a good philosophy because we’re able to get around weather patterns,” Rossignol said.
Rossignol Estate did not lose many vines in the February 2023 cold snap. Instead, Rossignol said the vines sustained significant bud damage which led to a reduced grape harvest.
Other fruits bought by the winery for alcohol production were not impacted by the 2023 weather.
Due to the variety of wines produced at the winery, Rossignol Estate was able to absorb the impact of the low grape harvest, and not see a significant drop in product stock or production.
“Our crop was relatively low, but we still had a lot of wine left over from the year before,” Rossignol said.
Rossignol estimated that the winery had enough wine to last more than two years, between those already processed bottles and those tanks of unfinished alcohol.