Niagara Winemakers Deal with Aftermath of Heavy Rains

Several winemakers in Ontario’s well-known wine region were busy cleaning up on Wednesday, following heavy rains that caused significant flooding throughout the Niagara Region.

Parts of Zabek Vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake remained submerged after being struck by consecutive storms, according to president and owner James Zabek.

“My dad’s 70 years old and he has never witnessed the amount of rain that we’ve gotten since he’s been farming,” Zabek said in an interview Wednesday.

Zabek mentioned that the vineyard’s drainage system – pipes located under the vine rows leading to roadside ditches – was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of rain. Once those ditches reached capacity, there was no place for the water to go.

“Flooded, absolutely flooded, especially in our low spots. The ditches can’t seem to keep up with the amount of water that we’ve been getting the last few rainfalls,” he said.

Officials report that thousands of homes and businesses were affected when the area experienced a series of extreme rainfall events, first on July 27 and 28, followed by more on Aug. 2. These storms collectively brought about a quarter of what’s typically seen as annual rainfall for this region in under a week.

Mayor critiques provincial and federal response

On Wednesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford met with mayors from St. Catharines and Lincoln, both of which had declared states of emergency. Ford posted on social media later that afternoon stating he heard “directly from workers and community members impacted by the recent flooding.”

A representative for Ontario’s minister responsible for emergency preparedness indicated they were evaluating flood damage against eligibility criteria for disaster recovery assistance programs.

St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe expressed frustration regarding how slow provincial and federal responses have been but felt optimistic after his meeting with Ford. He hopes it will lead to more effective disaster management moving forward.

“The biggest frustration is that it seems to take way too long to get the actual boots on the ground,” he said in an interview Wednesday.

Throughout many vineyards in the region, owners noted there wasn’t much they could do to prepare for such an intense downpour, even with solid drainage systems in place.

Floodwaters are seen between the rows of grape vines at Zabek Vineyards in Niagara-on-the-lake on Wednesday following the flash floods. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press)

Winery owner highlights need for climate change adaptation

Harald Thiel, owner and vigneron at Hidden Bench Estate Winery, reported around one to 1.2 meters of water pooling in some areas of his vineyard; however, being situated on a slope along Niagara Escarpment allowed most water to drain away quickly.

“I don’t think you can prepare for the amount of rain that was received in the area,” he said.

“I do think, however, that infrastructure needs to be adapted to the new reality of climate change, and we know we are seeing more and more of these very intense rainstorms, which cause erosion in the vineyards.”

For Malivoire Wine Company, most damage occurred within their buildings rather than affecting grapes because they’re located on higher ground. The winery was closed Monday as staff worked hard clearing out water and mud from their offices and shop areas.

“The flow of water from around the winery broke a wooden door and hit our outdoor movable bar so hard it got pushed out onto the patio,” explained Tammy Kruck, manager for club sales and direct-to-consumer operations at Malivoire Wine Company.

Kruck mentioned they found empty bottles carried away from their recycling area across a street into a neighboring vineyard. While barrels remained intact during flooding events, many labels suffered damage making them unsellable now.

Residents clear out damaged furniture and belongings from their basements after flooding hit homes in north end St. Catharines. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

The floods came just before harvest season started; thus vineyard owners believe this won’t affect fall wine production significantly.

“This would be disastrous if it was during harvest,” Paul Speck remarked-president/co-owner Henry Pelham Family Estate Winery-adding while his business managed well through it all; he’d never experienced such heavy rains before but appreciated how well his drainage system performed.

“So hopefully this doesn’t happen again come September or October or we’d be having a completely different discussion.”

Zabek stated it would take up three weeks until his vineyard returned back its usual operational pace barring any further torrential downpour incidents occurring soon afterward stressing possible crop diseases especially concerning vines themselves due soil saturation issues causing excess moisture risks like mildew formation damaging crops over time frame longer than necessary periods spent underwater!

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