Company's demise avoided at grape growers' meeting

Friday, April 11, 2008

by MARIBETH FITTS

Even during the meeting’s question and comment period, the subject wasn’t raised; most remarks focused on ongoing issues with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario and the Ontario market share of wines in liquor stores. (No resolutions were brought forward on these issues).

Yet during the meeting’s social time, it appeared the winery’s closure was all people could talk about.

During the meeting, chairman Bill George Jr. established the optimistic tone pursued throughout by pledging that the GGO would continue to negotiate for higher juice prices.

The association’s three-year pricing agreement with wineries ends this year. The agreement saw a two-per cent increase in 2007. The higher prices are needed to offset rising costs of production due to higher fuel costs, he said.

George also noted that although grape volumes were slightly lower in 2007, quality of wine grapes was exceptionally high. About 56,000 tonnes of grapes were processed in 2007, compared with 64,178 tonnes in 2006.

GGO CEO, Debbie Zimmerman presented a snapshot of the organization’s recent issues and accomplishments, including:

- A provincial funding program that helped growers affected by the closure of the Cadbury-Sweppes grape juice processing plant in St. Catharines last summer with the costs of removing vines;
- The establishment of the Grape and Wine Research Foundation in 2007
- Plans for a domestic vine certification program to be launched in the near future;
- GGO’s 2007 introduction of a new computerized weigh bill system for wineries;
- A federal four-year Orchards and Vineyards Transition program that begins in May and provides growers with approximately $6000 per acre to remove and replace unwanted vines; and
- The new designation of Prince Edward County as an official viticultural area, which will allow the region to produce and market VQA wines.

A new video, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the organization was also shown at the meeting. The annual report of the GGO is available on the website at www.grapegrowersofontario.com. BF