Ontario’s Beamsville Bench is home to many of the region’s most prestigious wine producers; among them is Fielding, a small family-operated winery recognized since 2005 for outstanding table wines and icewine. General Manager Curtis Fielding’s vineyard management has earned him the title of 2012–2013 Grape King, an impressive achievement. Here, Curtis explains how he went from racing cars to pruning vines, his love for a good cider, and why it’s good to be King.
So what’s the title of Grape King all about?
It’s a pretty neat title. I’m honored to be among other honorees with worldclass vineyards, many of whom have been my mentors. Grape King is about viticultural excellence. Fellow farmers put your name forward, and the Grape Growers of Ontario send researchers out to inspect the health of your vineyard, canopy management, etc. I have a wind machine project going on with Brock University, and we’re in our second year of going organic, and they liked to see that. Then there’s a five-page Q and A on farming practices. The switch to organic was a big undertaking, but well worth it to us.
Tell me about vintage 2012, which seems to have been a pretty exciting one.
The vintage was excellent, a very hot growing year, as you may remember, which concentrated the berries. Sugars were high, with good phenolic ripeness [also known as physiological ripeness, this term denotes ripeness through changes in tannin; for more on tannins, see Bryan Calandrelli’s piece, “Talkin’ Tannins,” in the January issue.
Besides Niagara, what wine region especially fascinates you?
I love Napa cabs. I was just in California visiting vineyards there; we look at what equipment other wineries are using, what kind of processing they use on the crush pad, anything to make our own wines better. It’s the main reason we travel.
What did you do before you grew grapes?
I went for a degree in automotive business administration. I travelled on a race team, racing stock cars. When not working on cars I helped farm cash crops, and I caught the farming bug. So when my father approached me about opening a winery I loved the idea.
Southern Ontario has an increasingly established and well-regarded wine industry. What changes have you seen recently in terms of consumer support for local wine?
Consumers are opening up to the idea that not all wines are sweet, and that Ontario has really stepped up as a world wine region. Things have changed, and they’re beginning to see that!
Source: grapegrowersofontario