Happy Long weekend! And Brix for the Week of 6th October 2025

 Hello Dear Growers!

As promised, here are the maturity control numbers for this week.

-Firstly, the weather for the rest of the week:

I hope the harvest is going well for all of you despite the rain we had. 

Here are the Brix numbers:

I would expect the Pinot Noir and Chard to be coming off soon-if it hasn't already, with Meunier following very closely. 

Here are a few reminders. 

NEWS AND EVENTS:

Season in Review 2025

The link to the 2025 "Season in Review" session is now active. Please click here to register. This is a complimentary event with lunch provided.

https://www.perennia.ca/eventer/viticulture-season-in-review/

Podcast: Cool Climate Crush
Theme: Crop Insurance with Alicia Lushington. 

Just in time for the 15 November deadline for applications. Get the details and news here. 

Click the Link here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4N91chEkrob0MixTZtu6mJ?si=K9qQZQZlQU26JBAnE4b4GQ

Thank you all for your time this week and I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving. 

CHEERS!

Katarina

Advance Notice: I will be away on vacation beginning 31 October and returning on 19 November 2025.

 

Katarina Vucic P.Ag; MSc; DipWSET

Viticulture Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture
Email kvucic@perennia.ca

Office 902-678-7722

Cell 902-599-1390

@NS_Viticulture

www.perennia.ca

 

Maturity Control: Week of 29 September 2025

 Hello Dear Growers!

Welcome to another absolutely beautiful week of fall. I am aware that there was no blog post last week, so this week, there will most likely be two. 

Firstly, here are some weather forecasts for this week (and yes, some rain is coming-maybe-we'll see on the day). The temperature will be dropping as the week continues, so please do be aware that some frost in the evening may be a possibility. We are in the thick of harvest, and by all accounts, the situation looks fantastic. I am hoping that the rain predicted for Wednesday does not impact berry integrity or quality in any significant way. 

 

Below is the final data for the season from Jeff at the Kentville Research Centre. 

Table 1.  Precipitation totals for the Kentville Research and Development Centre by month.

Month	25-Year Average (mm)	Current Year (mm)
April	81.9	93.7
May	74.0	88.6
June	98.7	50.5
July	85.9	33.0
August	91.1	13.2
September	98.8	22.3
October	115.8	0.5**

**Up to October 1, 2025

Table 2. Growing degree days and Sine degree days up to October 1, 2025.  All temperature data were recorded at the Kentville Research and Development Centre.

Single sine degree days, base of 0 °C starting on April 1		Growing degree days, base of 10 °C starting on April 1
Current Year	10-Year Average	Current Year	10-Year Average
2828.5	2781.8	1128.4	1110.0

Lastly, please see the sugar and acidity stats below. Accumulation is slowing - as is to be expected. Keep a lookout in your varieties. Some cultivars have shown signs of raisinating as we wait for the acidity to decrease. 

 

News and Events:

Season in Review: 

Date: 26 November 2025.

Time: 9am-3pm

Location:  Berwick Lions Club. This is a complimentary event with lunch included.

Registration is required. Page link will be available soon.

Podcast:

Crop Insurance with Alicia Lushington

Link will be available in the upcoming blog post.

Instagram:

@NS_Viticulture 

Follow me for news, updates, grower interviews and industry info. 

Thank you all for your time this week, and see you in the vines! 

Cheers!

Katarina

Katarina Vucic P.Ag; MSc; DipWSET

Viticulture Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture
Email kvucic@perennia.ca
Office 902-678-7722

Cell 902-599-1390

 

www.perennia.ca

 

Maturity Control: Week of 22 September 2025

Hello Dear Growers,

I hope you have had a good week. Here are this week's brix and acidity results. Please note that sampling was conducted mainly through the Kentville/Wolfville areas. results may vary slightly depending on your site. 

Weather data was provided by Jeff Franklin at the Kentville Research Centre:

Table 1.  Precipitation totals for the Kentville Research and Development Centre by month.

Month	25-Year Average (mm)	Current Year (mm)
April	81.9	93.7
May	74.0	88.6
June	98.7	50.5
July	85.9	33.0
August	91.1	13.2
September	98.8	16.5**
October	115.8

**Up to September 24, 2025

            Table 2. Growing degree days and Sine degree days up to September 24, 2025. Growing degree days were calculated using the average method and Sine degree days were calculated using the single sine method. All temperature data were recorded at the Kentville Research and Development Centre.

Single sine degree days, base of 0 °C starting on April 1		Growing degree days, base of 10 °C starting on April 1
Current Year	10-Year Average	Current Year	10-Year Average
2725.8	2682.6	1092.1	1079.4

 Other News and Events:

26 November 2025: 9am-3pm. Viticulture Season in Review @ Berwick Lions Club. Sign up link to follow. This event is complimentary with lunch provided.

@NS_Viticulture is now on Instagram and LIVE.  Follow me for stories, updates and information linked to the Nova Scotia grape growing industry.

Podcast Launch: Cool Climate Crush. 

Perennia's viticulture podcast. My first episode will be live by the beginning of October. It is a timely discussion about crop insurance with Alicia Lushington Parsons. We dive into the details of crop insurance, addressing common misunderstandings and clearing up misinformation to give farmers a clear picture of how it really works.

The deadline to enroll in Crop Insurance is 15 November. 

Thank you all for your time this week and I wish you all a lovely weekend and a successful harvest.

Cheers!

Katarina

Advance Notice: I will be away on vacation beginning 3 November and returning on 19 November 2025.

 

Katarina Vucic P.Ag; MSc; DipWSET

Viticulture Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture
Email kvucic@perennia.ca
Office 902-678-7722

Cell 902-599-1390

 

www.perennia.ca

 

Maturity Control: Week of 15 September 2025

 Hello Dear Growers!

Harvest is almost here! Some of the early varieties (like Osceola) are already coming in, but most of you will likely start early next week.

With damp weather in the forecast, please keep an eye out for downy on young leaves. Because of pre-harvest intervals, spraying may not be an option, so keep scouting and stay in touch with your winery.

We may also see temperatures dip to 2–4 °C on Friday and Saturday nights, depending on your location, so it’s worth keeping an eye on local forecasts.

Attached are this week’s Brix and TA results, along with low and high potential alcohol estimates for your reference. These samples were taken in the valley, so results may vary slightly by site.

The Precipitation and GDD was made available to us by Jeff Franklin at KRDC.

Table 1.  Precipitation totals for the Kentville Research and Development Centre by month.

Month	25-Year Average (mm)	Current Year (mm)
April	81.9	93.7
May	74.0	88.6
June	98.7	50.5
July	85.9	33.0
August	91.1	13.2
September	98.8	16.3**
October	115.8

**Up to September 17, 2025

Table 2. Growing degree days and Sine degree days up to September 17, 2025.  All temperature data were recorded at the Kentville Research and Development Centre.

Single sine degree days, base of 0 °C starting on April 1		Growing degree days, base of 10 °C starting on April 1
Current Year	10-Year Average	Current Year	10-Year Average
2617.9	2577.3	1054.1	1040.7

I will be out in sampling again next week. If you would like a visit, please get in touch with me. This harvest is looking fantastic, so I am very optimistic as I look at some very healthy vines and clusters.

Thank you all for your time this week, and again, keep in touch and see you out in the field.

Cheers!

Katarina

Katarina Vucic P.Ag; MSc; DipWSET

Viticulture Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture
Email kvucic@perennia.ca
Office 902-678-7722

Cell 902-599-1390

 

www.perennia.ca

 

Sampling Results: Week of 9 September 2025

 Hello Dear Growers,

Here are the sampling results from the week of 8 September 2025. Please note that your results may be slightly different depending on your site. I will be sampling again next Tuesday (weather depending), so keep an eye on the results toward the end of next week.

I hope you enjoy the weekend.

Cheers!

Katarina

Katarina Vucic P.Ag; MSc; DipWSET

Viticulture Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture
Email kvucic@perennia.ca
Office 902-678-7722

Cell 902-599-1390

 

www.perennia.ca

 

Ripeness Indicators and Pre-Harvest Considerations- Update

 Hello Dear Growers! 

Here are a couple updated results:

Harvest is quickly approaching! In this week’s update, I’ll focus on technological ripeness (Brix and TA), disease management—including sour rot, botrytis, and grape skin integrity during rain events.

Below are the Brix levels from 2 September 2025. I was out sampling again yesterday, and I’ll share those results as soon as they’re available.

Please note: these figures were collected in the Valley (Wolfville/Kentville area) and may vary slightly by location.

  Figure 1.

Table 1.  Precipitation totals for the Kentville Research and Development Centre by month.

Month	25-Year Average (mm)	Current Year (mm)
April	81.9	93.7
May	74.0	88.6
June	98.7	50.5
July	85.9	33.0
August	91.1	13.2
September	98.8	14.9**
October	115.8

**Up to September 10, 2025

Table 2. Growing degree days and Sine degree days up to September 10, 2025. Growing degree days were calculated using the average method and Sine degree days were calculated using the single sine method. All temperature data were recorded at the Kentville Research and Development Centre.

Single sine degree days, base of 0 °C starting on April 1		Growing degree days, base of 10 °C starting on April 1
Current Year	10-Year Average	Current Year	10-Year Average
2505.9	2458.6	1012.7	992.5

Observations
Dry conditions have led to a quality-driven harvest this year.

Veraison 2025 in L’Acadie and other varieties began only 2–3 days later than in 2024, making the timing difference between the two vintages minimal.

The dry season slowed ripening, so harvest dates are expected to be very similar to last year (per Osceola). I’ll provide a more accurate illustration of harvest dates once all data is collected.

---

Rain Events and Disease Pressure
With last night's rain and many areas receiving at least 11 mm of rain within the last 10 days, the risk of downy mildew is increased. Please monitor canopy tops and new growth carefully. Symptoms may not appear on clusters, so check leaves as well.

---

Micro-cracks and Berry Splitting
After a dry season, berry skins are more rigid. Rain can cause micro-cracks, increasing the risk of botrytis and sour rot. With rising sugar levels near harvest, splitting becomes more likely—monitor clusters closely and ensure protection.

SCOUT, SCOUT, SCOUT.

---

Cluster Thinning
If you have not already removed clusters above the fruiting zone or weak tertiaries, please do so. Unripe clusters divert sugars from ripening fruit and will reduce harvest quality.

News and Upcoming Events

Cool Climate Crush Podcast

The first episode has been recorded and will available by the end of the month. The theme: Crop Insurance with NSCLIC Manager Alicia Parsons Lushington. FAQs are answered and new info available. 

Release details to follow.  

26 November 2025:  Viti Season Wrap Up Event @ The Berwick Lion Club. 

Event is complimentary with lunch provided. Sign up details to follow.

Closing Thoughts

Communicate with your winery. 

Be it harvest dates, predicted yields, quality of yield or pre-harvest intervals, ensure that you and your winery are on the same page. 

Thank you all for your time this week. I wish you a successful and stress free harvest.

Cheers!

Katarina

 Katarina Vucic P.Ag; MSc; DipWSET

Viticulture Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture
Email kvucic@perennia.ca
Office 902-678-7722

Cell 902-599-1390

 

www.perennia.ca