Top 100 wines of Ontario
Discover the top 100 best wines of Ontario as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the wines that are popular of Ontario and the best vintages to taste in this region.
Discovering the wine region of Ontario
Ontario is the most populated and prolific wine producing province in Canada. The Long established wine industry here is centered around the Great Lakes of Erie and Ontario, where the continental Climate is moderated heavily by the large bodies of water.
The majority of wines produced in Ontario are Dry table wines (around 60 percent are white and 40 percent red). They are mostly made from Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir.
However, the province is best known internationally for its ice wines, made mostly from Vidal or Riesling. Sunny summers in Ontario are followed by cold winters, making it an ideal setting for the production of the style.
More ice wine is made here than anywhere else in the world.
A number of curiosities are also produced in the province, including the relatively common mutation of Chardonnay called Chardonnay Musqué, Sparkling ice wine, and a growing trend to produce wines from Dried and semi-dried grapes in an amarone style.
Ontario covers around 415,000 square miles (1. 1 million square kilometers) of land, making it the fourth-largest province in Canada. Four out of the five Great Lakes have shorelines in the province, and the vast Hudson Bay touches Ontario's Northern border.
Ontario subregions and growing conditions
Most viticulture takes place in the Southern Part of the state in three officially-designated regional appellations
Niagara Peninsula Complex and fragmented (see below)
Lake Erie North Shore This includes Pelee Island, Canada's southernmost wine region
Prince Edward County Another peninsula, on limestone.
Discover the grape variety: Tannat
Tannat is a red grape variety from Béarn which belongs to the cotoïdes family. Present in several vineyards of France, it occupies nearly 3,000 ha. Its leaves are reddish with tan patches. Its bunches are either of normal size or larger. Its berries have a thin skin and are rounded. Its foliage has a swarthy appearance. This variety must be pruned long because it is vigorous. It likes sandy and gravelly soils. Tannat is often exposed to leafhoppers and mites. It is also somewhat susceptible to grey rot. It has 11 approved clones, including 474, 717 and 794. Once mature, this variety produces acidic, fruity, tannic, acidic and full-bodied wines. Various aromas emerge, notably tobacco, cinnamon and exotic wood. Tannat is rarely used alone. It is combined with iron-servadou to obtain a fruitier taste or with cabernet sauvignon to be more rounded.
Food and wine pairing with a wine of Ontario
wines from the region of Ontario go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, pork or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of beef with dark beer, baked pumpkin or mixed paella valenciana.
Organoleptic analysis of wine of Ontario
On the nose in the region of Ontario often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, cream or oaky and sometimes also flavors of tropical, citrus or apples. In the mouth in the region of Ontario is a powerful with a nice freshness.
