Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Day 7: Making memories (and wine!) at Montgras Estate

We started the day with the anticipation of our last stop of the day - wine tasting at Montgras Estates! Alas we had a few stops before getting to the winery. 

Our first stop was with a visit with a small vegetable and fruit producer. Luis Carrasco Saldana is a forward-thinking farmer who took the initiative three years ago to further educate himself and a small group of fellow farmers on upgrading their irrigation systems.  With a well only four meters deep he irrigates his cherries, onions, melons and beans for the local market. His advice to us was to do everything with love.  

With irrigation on our minds our next stop was with Graciela who oversees all of the water systems in the area.  In the past six years, due to climate change, Chile has lost 30% of its rain and the river water is down 40%.  The biggest challenge is trying to get the government to acknowledge the need for dams and policy and to act on getting those dams constructed. This would allow water to be distributed more efficiently and recharge aquifers used by wells in the regions.  

Our lunch was enjoyed overlooking a vineyard at Vino Bello on their outdoor terrace complete with horse and wagon. This offered several photo opportunities with the vineyard in the background and a warm breeze blowing around us.  We enjoyed some wine, the vista and great conversation. 

Little did we know that on our final stop of the day we would become Montgras Estates newest winemakers upon our arrival! Gonzalos Silva guided us on our adventure in harvesting and making wine.   He gave us a bucket and some shears and we each got to experience picking our bucket of grapes. Then came the fun part - we took off our shoes and rolled up our pants and savoured the adventure of crushing grapes and watching the juice fill our buckets. To feel the grapes squeeze between our toes and the sweet juice bursting out was a therapeutic experience.  We cleaned up and proceeded with our tour of how they make wine with today's technology. White wine is cool fermented with only the juice and red is warm fermented with the whole grape skin seeds and all.  

Gonzalos instructed us in the proper wine tasting technique to first smell then swirl and smell again and finally taste by swirling in our mouths before swallowing. As Gonzalos says, “a good wine is the one you like the taste of" – so find the one you like and enjoy.   

We returned to Rancagua to enjoy our final night in Chile! Tomorrow we depart for Argentina.

-Class 15

 

Views: 280

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

anadian Tractor and Combine Sales Fall Sharply in September 2026. What It Says About Farmer Confidence

Canadian farmers continue to show caution when it comes to major equipment purchases, new data reveals double-digit declines in tractor and combine sales during September.

An open fall may offer Manitoba farmers a chance to turn marginal acres into opportunity

For Manitoba farmers looking for ways to get more from every acre, late fall can be the right time to tackle fields that consistently struggle to produce a profitable crop. Flood prone, weedy, saline areas can quietly eat into farm profitability year after year. Rather than continuing to apply crop inputs and fight with wet, saline acres that simply don’t pay, farmers can consider perennial forages as a longer-term solution. Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is encouraging farmers to take advantage of the fall window for dormant seeding as part of its Marginal Areas Program. “Some acres aren’t as well suited to growing annual crops year after year,” says Daphne Appleyard, a marginal areas specialist with DUC. “Fall is a good opportunity to start changing that equation by establishing perennial forages. Perennials reduce the need for annual crop inputs, provide ground cover to reduce erosion and weed pressure, and deep roots use moisture more efficiently than annual crops while mitigatin

Nine companies join program aimed at advancing Canadian food supply chain

Canada’s opportunity to strengthen its economy and domestic food security by making more from what it grows is increasing, and companies from coast to coast are stepping up to help the country reach its full potential. Today, Protein Industries Canada announced the addition of nine new companies into its Strengthening the Canadian Supply Chain program, bringing new products to grocery store shelves and new benefits to consumers across the country. By making more from what we grow, Canada has the opportunity to add upwards of $5.4 billion to its GDP, supporting 34,000 jobs. The Strengthening the Canadian Supply Chain program supports this opportunity by helping Canadian SMEs reformulate or develop ingredients and food products using Canadian inputs, improving cost efficiencies and strengthening the domestic food supply chain. “Canada’s food production and value-added agriculture sector is built on strong foundations, but we have the opportunity to do more,” Protein Industries Canada C

USDA Makes Historic $3.3B Loan to Build Electric Generation Facility in Georgia

Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced a historic $3.3 billion loan to Oglethorpe Power Corporation to help finance its Smarr Combined-Cycle electric generating facility in Monroe County, Georgia, during a visit to the construction site. This new facility will deliver dependable, affordable power for generations while helping meet America’s growing energy needs. This loan is the largest ever delivered in the history of USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service and comes at a critical time for investing in American energy. As stated by President Trump, the United States is experiencing a surge in electricity demand from rapid technological advancements. This project strengthens the nation’s electrical grid, and lower-cost financing will help keep electricity affordable for Georgia families. "Historic times call for historic actions, and this tremendous investment in America’s electric power grid is evidence of President Trump’s focus on powering our na

Davidson Grain Elevator Demolition Causes Power Outage Across Saskatchewan Community

The demolition of a grain elevator in Davidson, Sask., led to an unexpected power outage after the structure damaged a power line.

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service