Ontario wine
Ontario wine is Canadian wine produced in the province of Ontario. Wines made from 100% Ontario grapes can qualify for classification under Ontario's appellation system, the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA), depending on the varietal, the wine-making techniques employed, and various other restrictions.
Ontario, and Canada in general, is renowned for its consistent and unique ice wines. It is also gaining increasing recognition for its world-class premium table wines. Despite the awards, not all Canadian wine is classified as VQA.
Wines which are not labelled VQA and from certain producers (given special rights under the 1988 Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement) can use a high proportion of foreign bulk wine to produce a product which is labelled as “Cellared in Canada”, “Product of Canada”, or “Vinted in Canada”. Some of the wine industry's organizations, and respected wine writers in Canada and abroad, are quite concerned about this practice.
However, some wines which are not VQA are still genuine Ontario product, such as in cases where the producer is outside of a VQA recognized growing region, or is using non-VQA grape varieties or techniques.
Climate
Although Canada has a reputation for having a cold climate, Ontario's premier wine region, the Niagara Peninsula is in roughly the same latitude as southern France (Provence and the Languedoc). This region has a tradition of growing tender fruit such as apricots and peaches, and has the growing conditions to consistently ripen many varieties of vitis vinifera.
Grapegrowing in Ontario has its challenges. At times, wine regions in Ontario suffer from harsh winters which can damage tender vines. In addition, its humid summers can provide conditions for fungal diseases. However, recent decades have seen the development of vineyard management techniques and variety selection to meet these challenges. Ontario vineyards continue to progress in viticultural techniques to improve fruit quality for wine production.
Varieties
The most prominent varieties of grapes grown in Ontario are:
For red wine and rose production:
- Cabernet Franc
- Merlot
- Pinot Noir
- Gamay Noir
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Marechal Foch
- Baco noir
- Petit Verdot
- Malbec
- Zweigelt
For whites:
For ice wines and late harvest dessert wines:
Growing regions
There are four official growing regions in the province recognized by the VQA.
The Niagara Peninsula, with the most area under vine and a series of newly recognized sub-appellations, is Canada's largest wine growing region and is blessed by a unique micro-climate facilitated by the interaction of the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario.
In the Niagara Peninsula there are several sub-appellations which each have unique growing conditions suited to different grape varieties. They are: Niagara River, Niagara Lakeshore, Four Mile Creek, St. David's Bench, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Creek Shores, Lincoln Lakeshore, Short Hills Bench, Twenty Mile Bench, Beamsville Bench, Vinemount Ridge, and Niagara Escarpment.
The north shore of Lake Erie, and Pelee Island (in Lake Erie) are more southerly and receive many growing degree days, although Lake Erie freezes over in the winter.
In addition Prince Edward County, Ontario has most recently become a recognized wine growing region in Ontario. Some see the future of wine in "the county" in premium wines produced in the style of Burgundy, such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
There have been ongoing smaller scale attempts to grow wine in other, cooler, areas of the province using cold hardy, often hybrid grape varieties.
Fruit wine
Ontario is also home to wineries specializing in fruit wine. These wines are outside the scope of the VQA, but Fruit Wines of Canada has developed the Quality Certified (QC) mark to identify quality Canadian fruit wine that is not made from grapes. Ontario-grown fruits used to make these wines include (but are not limited to) apple, apricot, black currant, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, cranberry, elderberry, gooseberry, huckleberry, nectarine, peach, pear, plum, red currant, raspberry, saskatoon berry, and strawberry.
Some fruit wineries carry other products that are not made from fruit, including wines made from rhubarb, maple syrup, and honey.
Occasionally fruit wines are combined with grape wine, mead, or other fruit wines to produce unique flavour combinations.
In some cases, these wines can include other ingredients such as chocolate (e.g. in cherry or blueberry wines) or spices (e.g. in apple wines).
See also
- Canadian wine
- Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute
- Vintners Quality Alliance
- Ice wine
- Niagara Peninsula
- Short Hills Bench
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Regulatory
- Vintners Quality Alliance Ontario [[1]], is a trade organization which is regulated under the province of Ontario's VQA Act.
Marketing
External links
- Map of Ontario Wineries
- Grape Growers of Ontario
- Ontario Wine Producers Association [2]
- Niagara Winery Information and Ratings
- Ontario wines shipped worldwide
- Fruit Wines of Ontario