Rain, at last

When the thunderstorm bore down upon Bloomfield early Monday morning, two of our puppies were not in the least concerned. They were, however, disturbed by Rupert, who did his best to wake us all up to the delightful change of weather. The welcome rainfall will, to a certain degree, alleviate the drought that has befallen Eastern Ontario over the past months. We still need a lot more rain, although we must be grateful for what we received.

Stories abound that wells are running dry and water is being trucked to homes, and, in some cases, bulk water is being brought in to sustain certain crops. While grapevines are not among the crops that currently require irrigation in Prince Edward County, one can only wonder why irrigation drip systems were not factored into the cost per acre when they were first planted.

As I travelled throughout Argentina and Chile, I could not help but note their careful conservation and distribution of water to all crops. In Mendoza, water is rationed and the vineyard owner or manager decides if they need to irrigate. The high desert province of San Juan requires drip irrigation in order to support and sustain the wine industry.

There are many areas in the world that have thriving wine industries, despite a challenging location or climate. The Gobi Desert in China is an emerging wine region and, closer to home, wines are produced in the desert regions along the banks of the Columbia River in Washington State. In Western Australia, some of the most sought-after wines are produced near by the Margaret River.

Grapevines thrive in the harshest conditions of South Africa, southern Europe, Spain, and Portugal—giving testimony to their resilience by producing the robust wines for which these regions are renowned.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
Hot times are beer times. We have a number of ways to chill out: be it a cool frosty from the Barley Days selection, or an authentic draft from the County Road Beer. These beers are authentically crafted and you will not be disappointed.