Ontario’s Wine Regions TASTE THE PLACE

It’s all about place. Special places right here in Ontario. Places like nowhere else in the world – where the soil, the slope, the sunshine, the warmth, the rainfall and the craftsmanship all matter. Together, they create the distinctive terroir of Ontario’s VQA wines.

Lake Erie North Shore

The southerly location combined with the warming effect of the shallow waters of Lake Erie allows the vines to enjoy a long growing season and promotes ripe fruit with a perfect balance between natural sweetness and acidity.

South Islands

Located in Lake Erie about 20 kilometres off the shoreline, South Islands enjoys the longest growing season of any wine appellation in Canada. Warm breezes off Lake Erie moderate summer and fall temperatures, and harvest usually begins two to three weeks earlier than in the other regions – often in August. These unique conditions have ensured a long history of successful wine grape growing on the Island.

Niagara Peninsula

Decades of grape growing experience and extensive geographical research has identified two regional appellations and ten sub-appellations with a unique blend of soil, topography and climate. The Niagara Peninsula is made up of two regional appellations – Niagara Escarpment and Niagara-on-the-Lake – and also includes the sub-appellations of Vinemount Ridge, Creek Shores and Lincoln Lakeshore.

Niagara Escarpment

Representing the benchlands along the Niagara Escarpment, this complex region boasts fossilrich sedimentary soils and dramatic topography, encompassing three sub-appellations: Short Hills Bench, Twenty Mile Bench and Beamsville Bench, surrounded by the separate sub-appellations of Vinemount Ridge, Creek Shores and Lincoln Lakeshore.

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. Although there is a great diversity in geology, soil composition, elevation and climate, the wineries share the collective benefits of proximity to the lake, river and escarpment.

Prince Edward County

Bordering Lake Ontario and the Bay of Quinte, Prince Edward County is surrounded by water and features a rich terroir dominated by stony soils and broken limestone bedrock, which creates excellent drainage in the spring and absorbs water throughout the growing season. This forces vines to grow deeper during the hot summer months, producing lower yields of grapes with more concentrated flavours.

Emerging Regions

Over the past decade, adventurous growers and winemakers have been planting vines elsewhere in Ontario that expand beyond the established appellations of Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore and Prince Edward County. These emerging regions are north of Toronto along the Oak Ridges Moraine, towards Collingwood along the Georgian Bay area and east towards Ottawa. Mid-way between Niagara Peninsula and Lake Erie North Shore is the Norfolk County region, where several established wineries are located.