| Bill
George Jr.
Age:
33
Family:
Spouse Lesliann; children Will & Katelyn
Education:
University of Guelph, 1988, BSc. Agriculture
Board
service:
OGGMB Director for past 8 years
Viticultural
Area:
Niagara
Location:
George Family Farm Vineyards, Lakeshore Road, Beamsville
Number
of acres:
80
History:
Family-owned and operated since 1796 Grape varieties planted:
Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Vidal, Cabernet Franc,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Grower
for:
Cave Spring Cellars, Jackson-Triggs Vintners Farming philosophy:
To grow top quality. We’ve stayed with Vitis vinifera
varieties and will continue to do so. You have to try and
produce the best you can to compete in this industry. We’ve
come a long way, and quality will continue to sell.
Changes
anticipated in farming practices:
More site-specific plantings, paying more attention to where
certain varieties are planted to take advantage of the soil
and climatic conditions that are better suited to a particular
variety of grape.
Comments:
We’re still a developing industry as far as the wines
we produce. The industry is going high-end and I think that’s
where we’ll find our niche. I don’t believe we can
compete with low-priced imports that sell in the popular-priced
$8-10 range. Although there are a lot of sales in this area,
there won’t be a lot of gain for Ontario producers. We’ll
make inroads in the premium end of the wine spectrum, and
that’s where most of the money will be returned to the
grower in the long run. I think growers are recognizing that’s
where the growth will be, so they’re thinning a lot more
and following viticultural practices which will achieve higher
quality, and working with wineries more directly to ensure
higher quality.
The biggest
challenge facing this industry is finding our fair share in
our own domestic market and having the LCBO promote our products.
That’s the key: government support. If you go to France
or Germany, you won’t see them promoting imports like
you see here. Our government has to do its fair share to help
our domestic market grow. And if that happens, growers will
be better off. If we achieve a 50-60% market share, we’ll
be in great shape – if we’re able to supply that
demand. There are a number of issues that we need to resolve
– taxation, the Wine Content Act, domestic market share
– that are all tied together. But we need to get government
more on side to achieve success. |
