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A
Refreshing Glass of Chardonnay1 |
The best wines in the world
seem to come from temperate, warm places like France,
Italy, New
Zealand, Australia,
South America and California.
It sometimes comes as a surprise to people, then, that Canada—often
associated with cold, harsh weather patterns—has a booming wine industry
that has been producing world-class vintages for decades. Canadian wine has garnered
the country international recognition as a producer of fine, award-winning vino.
But this reputation as the Frozen North is actually unfounded as Canada's major
wine-growing regions lie at the same latitude as many wine regions in Europe,
including Burgundy in France.
Canada's wine-producing
potential is not a new discovery—Jacques Cartier noticed an abundance of
grapes in present-day Ile
d'Orleans near Quebec
City when he first encountered the island in 1535. The island was subsequently
named Ile de Bacchus after the infamous God of Wine, but the name was
later changed to commemorate the Duke of Orleans. However, the commercial wine
industry in Canada didn't get its start until 1866 with the establishment of
Vin Villa on Pelee
Island, which is Canada's most southerly point. Vin Villa is now just
a series of ruins but other commercial wineries have steadily gained momentum
from that day forward, and today there are over 250 wineries spread throughout
Canada.
With the exception of the
Northern Territories,
each region in Canada contributes to the wine industry, from the small, family-run
fruit vineyards of the prairies and Atlantic
Canada, to the large, multi-billion dollar corporations that mass-produce
wine from Canada's major wine regions in British
Columbia and Ontario.
ONTARIO
Niagara Peninsula
The humid south shores of Lake Ontario offer prime growing conditions for grapes,
giving rise to one of Canada's most well-known wine and tourism regions. Visitors
from Canada and the USA often flock to the Niagara
Penninsula for the flashy attractions, eclectic people and bright lights
that have made Niagara
Falls a sort of Las Vegas
of Canada. But there's more to this region than loud crowds and line-ups—embedded
within the countryside are spots that offer the quiet, reflective quality that
only nature can provide. Wineries
in this region provide a safe haven from the bustle of the main street,
though the experience might be shared with a few fellow visitors.
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| Wine
from Creekside Estate 2 |
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Niagara-on-the-Lake
is the home of the well-known Peller
Estate and Jackson-Triggs
wineries, which each produce vintages that are enjoyed the world over. Located
between St. Catharines
and Jordan,
Creekside
Estate is one of the other big wineries in the area, and is known for
introducing the Shiraz variety to this viable region. Beamsville's
Angel's
Gate Winery is another larger facility that's known for their Reisling.
Several smaller vineyards also populate the area, including Coyote's
Run, Birchwood
Estates, Cave
Springs Cellars and more.
Pelee Island
Pelee Island is a small landmass not far from the US border in the middle of
Lake
Erie. The island enjoys the warmest climate in Canada, and the relatively
small amount of frost creates ideal growing conditions, which the island's biggest
winery, Pelee
Island Winery, takes advantage of. The vineyard occupies 222 ha (550
acres) of the island and produces a large number of award-winning wines, including
ice wines. Tours are available.
Prince Edward County
Prince Edward County
is one of Ontario's newer wine regions, and is now considered the fastest-growing
area in Canada in terms of wine production. A cool-yet-mild climate and fertile
soil contribute to the area's growing success, and the quaint, artistic vibe
of the island community add to its appeal as a tourism destination. Those heading
to the region should make a point of visiting one of its small wineries, including
Black
Prince Winery and Huff
Estates.
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The
Aging Process 3 |
GTA
Amidst the smog-filled urban bustle doesn't seem the best place to produce quality
wines, yet a number of wineries have set up shop and even thrived in the Greater
Toronto Area. One example is the Southbook
Winery in Richmond
Hill, an urban oasis in the concrete jungle of Canada's largest city.
Nearby Stouffville
gives rise to 4.5 ha (11 acres) of grapes at Willow
Springs Winery. On the other end of the city,
Archibald Estate Winery in Bowmanville,
just east of Oshawa, is
one of Ontario's leading producers of fruit wine.
Other Ontario Wine Regions
Outside of these regions, most places in Ontario are generally either regarded
as having climates unsuitable for growing grapes or are too over-populated to
make devoting hundreds of acres to wine-making viable. However, a few other
wineries dot the horizon of this diverse province; Muskoka
Lakes Winery in Bala
gives winos another reason to enjoy a leisurely summer break in this cottage
country, while Woodstock's
Birtch
Farms Estate proudly produces over 20 varieties of fruit wines. The
family-run Erie
Shore Vineyard, located near Harrow,
offers 6 ha (15 acres) of European-variety grapes.
BC
The Okanagan
Warm air and fertile land make the Okanagan
a prime spot for growing almost anything, be it grapes, cherries, peaches, apples
or another type of fruit. The Okanagan is a land of lazy summer vacations, sunny
afternoons spent on the water, juicy bites of fruit picked freshly from the
orchard and warm evenings spent on the deck with a glass of wine. Wine is abundant
here—with about 80 wineries,
the Okanagan is in direct competition with the Niagara region of Ontario for
Canada's premier wine region.
Wineries are located throughout
the Okanagan, but the most visited ones are those located in and around the
region's largest city, Kelowna.
Summerhill
Winery is situated just a short drive south of Kelowna and offers free
tastings, making it a popular tourist destination. Other wineries within the
city's limits include CedarCreek
Winery and St.
Hubertus Estate. Across the bridge from Kelowna, the hilly slopes of
Westbank are considered
another vineyard hotspot, with ever-popular Mission
Hill, Quail's
Gate and Mount
Boucherie Estate Wineries enticing those in search of a quality vintage.
In addition, Kelowna also offers wine
festivals each season.
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| Mission
Hill's Vines 4 |
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Other spots in the Okanagan
are also worth visiting when on the hunt for wine. Gray
Monk, a winery that has earned a solid reputation throughout the years,
is located between Vernon
and Kelowna in Okanagan
Centre. South of Kelowna, Summerland
offers the quirky Dirty
Laundry Vineyard, which got its start as a cherry orchard. Across the
lake from Summerland in Naramata,
Black
Widow Winery produces full-bodied wines that have earned accolades from
the Okanagan wine community. Nearby Peachland
offers Hainle
Winery, an established vineyard that specializes in organic vintages.
Even farther south, the
town of Oliver is another
popular wine destination. Vineyards like Oliver
Twist Estate Winery, Hester
Creek Estate Winery and Golden
Beaver Winery call this area home, taking advantage of the temperate
climate and ideal growing conditions the south Okanagan has to offer. Jackson-Triggs,
one of Canada's largest wine-producing companies, also has a vineyard located
near Oliver.
The Islands
Off the lower mainland coast, the Gulf
Islands and Vancouver
Island offer a tranquil setting and picturesque scenery. Small, eclectic
communities, an ideal climate, lots of sunshine and enough rain to grow almost
anything makes this an ideal area for wineries. Vancouver Island has a number
of vineyards
spread throughout its 32,261 km sq(19,356 mi sq) of land space. Victoria offers
Barking
Dog Vineyard on the Saanich Peninsula in Victoria,
which specializes in organic wines that appeal to the earth-conscious residents
of the islands. Also on the Saanich Peninsula is the Church
and State Winery, an award-winning vineyard attracting many tourists
with its picture-perfect location. North of Victoria in Cobble
Hill, Cherry
Point Vineyards is a farm winery known for their 2000 Reserve Agria.
Up the coast in Duncan,
Blue
Grouse Vineyards has introduced grape varieties from Europe for a unique
Canadian offering. Additional vineyards on the Island include Marley
Farm and Echo
Valley.
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The
Tasting Room at Quail's Gate 5 |
The Gulf
Islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland are equally suited
to wine production, though they don't offer the abundant space that the rest
of the province is blessed with. Nonetheless, a few wineries have made a go
of it, including Salt
Spring Vineyard and Gary
Oaks Winery on Salt
Spring Island, Saturna
Vineyard on Saturna
Island, Morning
Bay Vineyard on Pender
Island and Carbrea
Vineyard on Hornby
Island.
Fraser Valley and Lower
Mainland
Where the mighty Fraser
River meets the Pacific Ocean, there is a fertile and picture-perfect
valley called the Fraser
Valley, which leads westward into BC's largest urban area, Greater
Vancouver. Despite the city sprawl, the less-populated areas give rise
to some fantastic grapes, particularly around Langley,
which offers Domaine
de Chaberton Estates, the first winery in the area. In nearby Fort
Langley, the Fort
Wine Co. Estate Winery produces renowned dessert wines, and in Richmond,
the Blossom
Winery makes good on its name by producing a variety of fruit wine.
Of course, the area has a number of other fine vineyards, including Glenugie
Winery and Township
7 Vineyards, both in Langley.
QUEBEC
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| Wine
Tasting at Summer Hill 6 |
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Quebec's
wine industry is perhaps the success story of Canada—the winters here are
exceptionally harsh and growers have had to learn to contend with an inhospitable
climate to produce quality grapes. Conversely, cold winters are beneficial in
the production of ice wines, and with the emergence of new climate patterns
due to global warming, ice wine producers have struggled to keep their crop
afloat.
The region east of Montreal
and south of the St.
Lawrence River is considered Quebec's
prime vineyard region. Five vineyards were founded here in the mid-1980s—Vignoble
le Cep d'Argent, Vignoble
les Trois Clochers, Vignoble
Domaine des Côtes d'Ardoise, Vignoble
la Bauge and Vignoble
de L'Orpailleur—and have steadily gained momentum ever since. Today,
all five are still in operation along with a few more that have popped up along
the way. Vignoble de L'Orpailleur produces the largest amount of wine, around
70,000 bottles per year.
ATLANTIC CANADA
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia growers,
like Quebec, have to contend with harsh winters, but vineyards have emerged
and even flourished due to the vigilance of winemakers. Nova Scotia's first
winery was Grand
Prè Wines in the Annapolis Valley. Other significant vineyards
include Blomidon
Estates of Canning,
Gaspereau
Vineyards of Gaspereau
and Jost
Vineyards in Malagash.
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Vineyard
Grapes 7 |
Newfoundland
The island of Newfoundland
experiences extreme weather conditions, making it hard for some crops to grow,
but a few fruit-based wineries have emerged. Rodrigues
Winery produces kosher wines made from fresh berries on a site that
once was the hospital in Whitbourne.
In Twillingate,
Auk
Island Winery creates unique wines from rhubarb, strawberries, blueberries,
damson, blackberries and more.
Prince Edward Island
Canada's smallest province, Prince
Edward Island, is rich in charm and heritage. It also enjoys a mild
climate that is ideal for growing, though at only 224 km (139 mi) in length,
there's not much room for large growing operations. Nonetheless, Rossignol
Estate Winery operates a relatively large vineyard that produces a variety
of high-quality wines, including Chardonnay, Carbernet Franc and more.
New Brunswick
Wedged between Nova Scotia and Quebec is New
Brunswick, a community-oriented province that offers stunning scenery
and a rich heritage. Small, family-run fruit wineries are prominent here, such
as the Waterside
Farms Cottage Winery on the Bay
of Fundy, producing antioxidant-rich blueberry wines that are good tasting
and good for those who drink them. Winegarden
Estate in Baie
Verte produces a number of labels, including a selection of red, white,
blush and fruit wines.
THE PRAIRIES
Dry, harsh climate conditions in the prairies make it less than ideal for growing
grapes. Nonetheless, a few determined people have set up wineries with varying
degrees of success. Rigby
Orchards Ltd. in Killarney,
Manitoba, produces fruit
products and estate wines, which have been well-received by wine critics. Field
Stone Fruit Wines, just outside of Calgary,
along with En
Sante Winery near Two
Hills, Alberta,
have produced some award-winning fruit wines.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF:
- Martha Edwards; A
refreshing glass of Chardonnay; Calgary, AB, Canada
- Creekside Estate;
c/o http://www.creeksidewine.com; Wine from Creekside Estate; Jordan Station,
Ontatio, Canada
- Martha Edwards; The
aging process; Calgary, AB, Canada
- Martha Edwards; Mission
Hill's vines; Calgary, AB, Canada
- Martha Edwards; The
tasting room at Quail's Gate; Calgary, AB, Canada
- Martha Edwards; A
wine tasting at Summer Hill; Calgary, AB, Canada
- Martha Edwards; Vineyard
grapes; Calgary, AB, Canada
