Ontario growers celebrate record grape harvest

Toronto, Ont. – The Grape Growers of Ontario are celebrating a record harvest of grapes this past fall, as well as this winter’s Icewine harvest.

The 2013 harvest came in at 79,756 tonnes of grapes, valued at $99.7 million. That’s up from last year’s 66,014 tonnes, valued at $88.6 million.

“Ontario’s grape harvest set records this past autumn. It’s another superb harvest and it’s promising in terms of the quality of the grapes,” says Grape Growers of Ontario Chair Bill George.

More than 6,000 tonnes of grapes were netted last fall and left for harvesting this winter for Icewine production. Icewine grapes must be frozen on the vine at a constant temperature of -8°C or lower, and then pressed while still frozen. The total harvest will yield between 900,000 and 960,000 litres of Icewine.

The Grape Growers of Ontario represents more than 500 grape growers, with 17,000 acres of vineyards. Approximately 14,000 Ontario jobs are tied to Ontario’s wine industry.