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: 274

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

Canadians Back Supply Management and Dairy Farmers Ahead of CUSMA Review

As Canada prepares for a review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), a new survey reveals most Canadians want the federal government to protect dairy farmers, maintain supply management, and preserve Canadian control over the nation's food supply.

USMCA Not Renewed - What the Decision Means

The United States has chosen not to renew the USMCA in its current form following the agreement's mandatory six-year review. The trade pact remains in force.

Former Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach Supports United Canada

Former Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach has endorsed Vote to Stay, encouraging Albertans to support a strong future within Canada and join a growing grassroots movement.

Tragedy averted as central Alberta farmhand rescued from grain bin

On an early morning in May, Aaron Dingle, an 18-year-old New Zealand man here in Alberta working as a farmhand, was rescued from a canola bin where he was buried up to his neck. The entire incident could have ended in tragedy but for the quick response of his employers, and the actions, training, and use of specialized equipment by Hardisty and Killam firefighters who answered the call. Dingle is working at the Burden farm north of Lougheed on an informal farm exchange. John Burden says, “We were part of the Ag Exchange program for many years, and now all those kids keep sending their friends and family our way.” Burden says it’s also much easier for foreign farm workers to come now than in the past. Burden, his son Graham, and Dingle were unloading a canola bin last week, one where they saw a heated core and some sprouting in a small area. Graham says he’d worked in the bin all day Tuesday with a grain vac, sucking out any problem spots, and could see that the further down towards

Canola Watch

One big spray Excess moisture, spraying delays and weeds were the top yield robbers again this week, same as last week. These challenges in combination with advancing crops and weeds, a lot of canola will get just one pass of herbicide this year. Crop stage and max labels rates depend on the system. Last kick at the blackleg can Fungicide labels may say, in many cases, that the window for blackleg on canola is from the two- to six-leaf stage...but six-leaf is usually too late to prevent early infection that drives yield loss. Application around the two-leaf stage is best, if the situation justifies a spray. Remember 2024? It was a bad blackleg year. Fields with canola this year that were in canola in 2024 will be at higher risk, especially if the cultivar is the same. Moisture could increase early infection rates. Relative humidity of 80 per cent or higher and cool temperatures of 13-18°C are conducive to blackleg infection. Tank mixing fungicide with herbicide can save a field pa

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service