OttawaIn a summer filled with record-breaking heat, this Ottawa vineyard says its mature vines are well-placed to weather the drought.Staff at the Domaine Perrault winery are excited to reap the fruits of their labourCBC News · Posted: Sep 13, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 30 minutes agoGraham Fish says this year’s harvest has “potential” as he cuts grapes from the vine. (Giacomo Panico/CBC)An Ottawa vineyard is preparing to harvest the fruits of their labour from a summer hit with record-breaking heat warnings and periods of drought.Graham Fish is a winemaker and manager at Domaine Perrault, a vineyard in the south Orléans community of Navan.It was a productive summer for the vineyard, he said, leaving him with “anticipatory excitement” as they prepare for harvest.”We get to see what yield we’re going to get. So we’re excited,” he said.Fish says the Domaine Perrault’s grape vines have deep roots that are resistant to drought. (Giacomo Panico/CBC)Various communities have had to grapple with this summer’s lack of rain. Level 3 advisories — the most severe low-water warning a conservation authority can issue — have been issued for parts of eastern Ontario, including the Cataraqui, Rideau Valley, Carp, South Nation and Quinte watersheds.In Prince Edward County, one vintner resorted to hand-watering over 12,000 plants after experiencing what they considered to be the driest summer in 15 years.A spokesperson for Environment Canada told CBC the rain deficit in southern Ontario was 70-90 per cent less than normal. But due to their deep roots, the vines at Perrault may be unaffected by the drought, according to Fish.”We do have some very, very old vines. Denis Perrault, who’s our owner here, planted the grapes in 1999. So we have the oldest vines in the Ottawa area,” Fish said. Fish explained the vines don’t rely on water at the surface because the roots are have grown down to the water table.The Domaine Perrault winery produces 20,000 bottles each year from over five acres of land, according to the vineyard’s website. (Giacomo Panico/CBC)As the harvest approaches, the vineyard is set to hire a few seasonal workers. But they also rely on volunteers, who may be rewarded for their help.”We love volunteers. We generally will trade a bottle of wine for a couple hours of picking grapes. If anyone’s into it, it’s a great fall activity,” Fish said. “The more hands we have, the lighter the work.”But Fish is hesitant to celebrate the harvest too early. “I always say until there’s wine in vats, I don’t like to talk about what the harvest is,” Fish said. “But as of right now, there’s a lot of potential out here.” With files from Giacomo Panico, Aya Dufour, Dan Taekema and Jayden Dill
‘There’s a lot of potential’: Dry summer has Ottawa vineyard excited for fall harvest
