New Brunswick wine maker sees growth as climate, grapes evolve

Breadcrumb Trail Links

1. Business & Economy
2. Moncton to Miramichi
3. New Brunswick

Article content

New Brunswick’s warming climate could lead to growth and opportunity for the province’s $7.75 million wine industry as it expands what grape growers in the province can do, according to a Moncton-based vintner.

Article content

“We never want to speak positively about climate change and global warming, but at the end of the day, New Brunswick and the Atlantic Canadian weather is changing, and so for us, we’re getting more frost-free days, and we’re getting more heat units,” said Zach Everett of Magnetic Hill Winery.

“We have more flexibility with what we can grow today.”

New Brunswick currently has Canada’s fifth-largest wine industry. According to provincial wine growing organizations, Ontario is at the head of the pack with an approximate value of more than $5 billion. British Columbia is next at about $3.75 billion.

Neighbouring Nova Scotia’s wine industry ranks fourth, with an economic impact of $245.2 million.

Loose Wire Winery, Magnetic Hill’s new sister winery, launched earlier this year with two wines, Lemonade Stand and Expressimento. SUBMITTED

Everett figures leading provinces have had a 30-year head start to grow different grapes and make different wines. He wants to catch up and turn New Brunswick into Canada’s next wine region.

Article content

Article content

To do so, Everett said it will mean experimenting with new grape varieties to see what’s possible in the Maritime province. That experimentation isn’t as easy for an established brand like Magnetic Hill. So, to ensure new wines aren’t lost in the shuffle, the company has launched a sister winery. Loose Wire will focus on pushing the boundaries through small batch experimental releases.

“If we don’t do all these experiments, we are never going to catch up,” he said. “We’re some of the first people in Canada to plant the varieties that we’re growing.”

Science supports Everett’s rationale for trying new grapes. Last summer, Natural Resources Canada said the country’s plant hardiness zone map, which helps determine where different plant types can grow based on climate, changed for the first time in more than a decade. Regions across New Brunswick moved up the scale, indicating warming temperatures.

Article content

“When you plant a grape, those grapes survive 20, or 20 plus years, and so we’re kind of in the middle of the start. We’re going to be able to grow a lot more varieties over the next 20 years,” he said.

Craig Pinhey, a wine, beer, and spirits writer and judge based in New Brunswick, said Nova Scotia hasn’t been on the national radar for long, but said promotional campaigns and supports from the province helped boost the industry.

Pinhey, a Brunswick News columnist, said New Brunswick hasn’t seen as much growth.

“It feels like every other winery that has come along has stopped at a certain size, or just gone out of business,” he said.

However, he is feeling hopeful about the future of the industry thanks to projects like Magnetic Hill’s latest venture.

“Hopefully, what Zach’s doing will encourage other people to invest here,” he said.

Nick Brown, spokesperson for New Brunswick’s Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries, said the province has been supporting the wine industry in partnership with the federal government for years and has programs in place to help it grow. One in particular, the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, seems to support the kind of experimentation and innovation Everett is pursuing.

Article content

“The program provides assistance for the development of grape plantings and the adoption of innovative vineyard equipment, while also complementing broader efforts available to producers to address environmental challenges,” said Brown.

‘We don’t want to take our foot off the gas’

Everett said Loose Wire will include a tasting location and a wine club. He said the brand will allow for the opportunity to test new ways of making wine.

“For us, it’s exploring different vessels, different techniques, and really geeking out with the art and science of wine making,” he said.

With the launch of Loose Wire comes two new wines, Lemonade Stand, which Everett said is a version of New Brunswick’s regional style.

The second is Expressimento, an appassimento style born from several years of trials that tastes like something from California or Australia.

Article content

“Our climate on paper, no one would associate that delicious red,” he said. “We have to change the perception of what is possible here.”

Both wines are made with cold-climate grapes. Everett said right now he is planting grapes that can survive harsher climates than Moncton, but that will soon change. He said that within five to 10 years, they will be able to start taking more risks by planting tender varieties of grapes that are grown in Nova Scotia.

“We don’t want to take our foot off the gas. We want to see what we can do over the next 10 years,” he said. “Something like Loose Wire is where that comes in to really, really push the envelope forward.”

Article content

Share this article in your social network