Cheers to 30 years, CCOVI crosses milestone
By Luke Edwards
Just as Niagara’s grape growers were getting ready for a busy harvest season, they offered a toast to an academic institution crucial in making those harvests better and better each year.
The Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, more affectionately known as CCOVI, celebrated its 30th anniversary with an event at Brock University last month. Brock, the Grape Growers of Ontario and the then Wine Council of Ontario (now Ontario Craft Wineries and Wine Growers Ontario) established CCOVI in 1996 to bring academic expertise to grape growing and wine making in Niagara and across the country.
“It started with a simple idea: we put a lab at Brock,” recalled Donald Ziraldo, legendary Niagara wine maker and one of the driving forces behind the creation of CCOVI.
That so-called simple idea quickly grew. Today CCOVI boasts a talented team of researchers, providing the grape and wine industry with three main services: research, professional and continuing studies, and knowledge transfer.
And the growth is continuing, as Brock continues work on its Norris W. Walker Research Farm that will be home to the school’s Clean Plant Program, an important service for Canada’s grape growers.
CCOVI has also been a key player in other research projects, such as the Vine Alert program that helps growers ensure their vineyards have a better shot of surviving the coldest spells of winter.
The institute also offers workshops, a lecture series, analytical services and more to those in the industry.
“There are so many milestones that we have accomplished,” said Debbie Inglis, CCOVI director.
“We were able to accomplish it because we had those partnerships.”
Another key part of CCOVI is the Applied Grape and Wine Services program, the only one of its kind in Canada, as well as continuing education opportunities for grape and wine professionals.
Shiraz Mottiar remembers in his university days knowing one thing: he wanted to get into the grape and wine industry. Mottiar, now the general manager and winegrowing director at Malivoire, was one of the first graduates from the CCOVI program.
But he nearly wasn’t.
Mottiar’s grades weren’t quite enough to get accepted initially. But his persistence got him a spot and he graduated in 2000.
“The time I spent at CCOVI was life changing and incredibly memorable to me,” he said.
The anniversary event also acted as a chance to celebrate another milestone of sorts, as Barb Tatarnic, manager of professional studies and outreach, retired.
“At the core of CCOVI is relationships, and that’s what Barb was all about,” said Inglis.
St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe thanked everyone who has made CCOVI a success, saying the grape and wine industry is a vital part of Niagara.
“It’s part of our identity and an important part of our region’s economy and culture,” he said.
With 30 years in the books, the institute now looks forward. The research farm offers exciting prospects for the industry, and while Ziraldo made a pitch for government support in the form of a national VQA and reduction of trade barriers, he also said future success depends on people and the future grape growers and wine makers.
“It’s important to move forward, step up, and be the next generation,” he said.
Comments