Canadian wine institute takes lectures online

Grapegrowers and winemakers can simply go on line now to attend sessions of the popular lecture series held by the Cool Climate Oenology & Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) at Brock University in Ontario.

CCOVI has arranged for anyone with a computer and Internet connection to be able to access the live webcasts of speakers and later pose questions.

The first live webcast took place last month with Biology Sciences professor Andrew Reynolds discussing Applied Geomatics: Connecting the dots between grapevine physiology, terroir and remote sensing.

While only a few people logged onto the initial session, CCOVI director Debbie Inglis expects the webcasts to attract a wide audience once their existence is better known. The Webcasts are part of CCOVI’s increased focus on community outreach.

Continuing through May, the series has Ralph Brown of the College of Physical and Engineering at the University of Guelph discussing precision viticulture on May 10. Other upcoming topics include understanding the impact of fermentation stresses on yeast during wine production (May 17), and the rapidly developing wine region of Penglai, China (May 31). The CCOVI Lecture Series is accessible through the left-hand side of www.brocku.ca/ccovi

Previous lectures can also be viewed. They included: new initiatives in the management of grape sour rot; sustainability in grape production and commerce; hedging weather-related risks; and, creating an identity for the Ontario wine industry.