Hybrid Grapes
The grape species that is used to produce most of the wine you consume is called vitis vinifera. The grapes originate from Europe and include most of the varieties you already know: chardoanny, sauvignon blanc, riesling, cabernet sauvignon, etc. These species of vines don’t much care for cold weather. At minus 25 degrees celsius, they die.
A felicitous strategy to optimize grape growing in colder areas is using hybrid grape varieties. Hybrids result from crossing two or more vine species to produce a resultant, unique grape variety. The most common hybrids in Ontario are baco noir and vidal. In emerging regions of Ontario, frontenac and marquette are becoming popular.
There is a strong argument for growing such varieties, but high quality, fine wine is not one of them. Hybrids might make some waves and pull some people in, but serious wine lovers don’t pay them much attention. Sure they will be tasting with courtesy and curiosity, but the truth is most critics, judges and sommeliers are on the hunt for the classic grapes. And winemakers and grape growers are often of the mind that they too want to produce wines on par with the archetypal classics from the renowned regions of Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Rhone.
Much of the case for planting hybrids has to do with sustainability. From a farming stand point they are often much more disease resistant. This helps with sustainable viticulture as they don’t require as many pesticides and fungicides.
Another strong argument for hybrids is climate adaptability. Because they can withstand the cold weather so well they are often relied upon to make wines in emerging regions. Anyone who has been north of highway 7 and has visited a winery will have certainly tasted mostly hybrid grape wine.
Nova Scotia is another area in Canada where grape wine is being made and is reliant on hybrid grapes, especially L'Acadie blanc.
However, out in British Columbia the reliance on vinifera might be reconsidered. In December of 2023 a devastating weather event occurred in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys in British Columbia. It was so cold that by some accounts, 50% of the valley’s vines died.
The wineries did manage a successful growing year in 2024, but in January of this year, another sustained cold snap was thought to have killed off the entire Okanagan and Similkameen valleys.
It now appears that things are not as bad as initially thought, but there is still significant loss across the primary grape growing regions.
Could hybrids be the answer? Maybe.
It is hard to imagine a region that has been able to produce such full bodied reds and whites from the classic grape varieties suddenly being forced to reconsider this classic approach to wine making. Time will tell what the market can and will support out west.