Everything you need to know about Ontario’s wine regions
Ontario’s wine industry has grown and matured for nearly two hundred years. Stretching mostly across the southern part of the province, Ontario wineries take advantage of a temperate climate, enhanced by the diversity of glacial soils and the moderating effect of the Great Lakes, to produce mature fruit and complex wines.
Do you know where your wine comes from?
As a sustainable seafood advocate, I’m always encouraging people to know where their seafood comes from. Knowing where and how your fish was harvested is important to understanding the sustainability and quality of the product, as well as the socioeconomic implications of purchasing it.
I didn’t realize it before, but knowing were wine comes from is important for the same reasons.
In today’s post, I want to talk about the origin of wine, by breaking down Ontario’s wine regions and explaining how the terroir and geography shape Ontario’s unique varietals.
Explore over 130 wineries and 17,000 acres of vineyards stretching from Niagara Peninsula to Prince Edward County to Lake Erie North Shore and beyond in Ontario's wine regions. Click To TweetAppellations
For hundreds of years, wine has been associated with its point of origin or it’s appellation.
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown. Appellation of origin is an important marker of quality in the best of wine regions, reminding us of a wine’s inherent tie to the earth, nature, the hands that produce it, and the time and heart involved in making it.
This is why we often hear wine referred to as an “expression of place”. In Ontario, winemaking is intimately related to terroir – a sense of place.
Ontario has so far identified three primary viticulture areas or appellations: Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore, and Prince Edward County.
Niagara Peninsula
97 VQA wineries
Niagara Peninsula is the largest of Ontario’s wine regions – it’s actually the largest viticulture area in Canada. Located on the southern shores of Lake Ontario, it stretches roughly 55 kilometers between the eastern limits of Hamilton in the west and the left bank of the Niagara River as it flows into Lake Ontario.
The Niagara Peninsula is characterized by rich, fertile soils and unique mesoclimates, which provide ideal conditions for producing cool climate varieties such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.
Over 55% of VQA wineries are located in Niagara Peninsula!
This viticulture area is divided into two regional appellations “Niagara Escarpment” and “Niagara-on-the-Lake”. The regional appellations are then broken down further into sub-appellations with similar characteristics and winemaking experience.
Niagara Escarpment
Representing the bench lands along the Niagara Escarpment, west of St. Catharine’s to Grimsby, this complex region encompasses three sub-appellations: Short Hills Bench, Twenty Mile Bench, and Beamsville Bench. The air circulation and frost protection provided by the bench topography and steady water supply create unique conditions for grape berry maturation across this region, contributing to the distinctive and refreshing style of bench wines.
My favourite Niagara Escarpment Wineries: 13th Street Winery, Cave Spring Vineyard, Henry of Pelham Estate Winery, Kew Vineyards Estate Winery, Westcott Vineyards
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Situated below the crest of the Niagara Escarpment and stretching to the Niagara River and the shores of Lake Ontario, this region encompasses four sub-appellations: Niagara River, Niagara Lakeshore, Four Mile Creek and St. David’s Bench. Niagara-on-the-Lake is the heart of Ontario wine culture and a world-renowned wine country destination.
My favourite Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries: Pillitteri Estates Winery, Stratus Vineyards, Trius Winery, Two Sisters Vineyards, Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery
Prince Edward County
30 VQA wineries
Prince Edward County is one of Ontario’s fastest growing winery destinations, producing trendsetting sparkling wine and rosés. This is Ontario’s most northern appellation and relies on the lake to provide a moderated and productive cool climate growing season.
My favourite Prince Edward County wineries: Morandin Wines, The Old Third, Hinterland Wine Company, Karlo Estates Winery
Read next: The cutest Airbnb’s in Prince Edward County
Lake Erie North Shore
15 VQA wineries
The oldest commercial grape-growing area in Canada and Ontario’s most southerly point, Lake Erie North Shore shares the same latitude as northern California and Bordeaux. This allows this appellation to enjoy a long growing season and ripe fruit with a perfect balance between natural sweetness and acidity.
My favourite Lake Erie North Shore wineries: Pelee Island Winery, Colio Winery
What is “VQA”?
VQA wines are crafted from grapes grown in Ontario’s unique and diverse appellations. Dedicated to producing wines that typify grape character and the distinctive imprint of origin, Ontario winemakers are immersed in the cultivation, interpretation and communication of terroir as it is reflected in their wines, from vineyard to bottle. Clearly, the best wines are a unique reflection of a winemaker’s passion inspired and challenged by a sense of place and these qualities of origin. Choosing VQA means choosing quality wines of origin.
