Niagara-on-the-Lake is a regional VQA appellation in Ontario, Canada, on the southern shores of Lake Ontario and surrounded by water on three sides. It produces the largest Volume of ice wine in the world, more so than the style's homeland of Germany. Riesling, Cabernet Franc and Vidal are planted widely for this style.
There are around 20 wineries in operation here and international wine-producing powerhouses such as Inniskillin, Jackson Triggs and Peller Estate are collectively responsible for the majority of Canadian ice wines sold outside of Canada.
The consistent Climate is well suited to the production of ice wine. Its vineyards enjoy a growing season brought about by the temperature-moderating capacities of the lake.
Some Dry wines are also made in Niagara-on-the-Lake. These usually feature Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon.
In terms of Size, the appellation is a middle ground between the broader Niagara Peninsula VQA and four smaller sub-appellations within its borders. These are Niagara Lakeshore, Four Mile Creek, Niagara River and St David's Bench.
The western boundary runs along the Welland Canal, a shipping facility that is an important Part of the St Lawrence Seaway. The high ridge of the Niagara Escarpment forms an obvious southern boundary, and the Niagara River separates Niagara-on-the-Lake from the US state of New York in the east.
Gamay is a Burgundian grape variety that has existed since the 14th century. For fear of competition with the pinot noir of Burgundy, gamay was finally uprooted and planted in the Beaujolais region, from Mâcon to Lyon. These siliceous and granitic soils suit it perfectly, and it gives its best here. But it is also planted all over France, such as in Lorraine, in the Loire Valley, in Bugey, in Savoie and in Auvergne. Gamay is early and very productive and needs to be limited so that quality prevails over quantity. Short winter pruning of the shoots and high density of vines per hectare are the methods that allow it to produce very fruity, fresh and greedy red wines. Gamay is also very popular in red wine futures, and produces wines from the Beaujolais region with very interesting character and ageing potential. The AOCs Crémant-de-Bourgogne, Mâcon, Anjou, Touraine, Rosé de vallée de la Loire, Côtes-d'Auvergne, Saint-Pourçain, Bugey, Gaillac, Côtes du Luberon... and many vins de pays are proud of it. Today, about 36,000 hectares of Gamay are cultivated in France, including 22,000 hectares in Beaujolais.
wines from the region of Niagara-on-the-Lake go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, shellfish or spicy food such as recipes of stuffed pumpkin, marinated mussels with parsley or traditional lamb couscous (from algeria).
On the nose in the region of Niagara-on-the-Lake often reveals types of flavors of strawberries, earthy or dried fruit and sometimes also flavors of tropical fruit, vegetal or citrus fruit. In the mouth in the region of Niagara-on-the-Lake is a powerful with a nice freshness.
Canada’s wine community is mourning the sudden loss of beloved Ontario winemaker Paul Pender. Passing away at the age of just 54, Pender died ‘unexpectedly under tragic circumstances’ on 4 February, 2022, as announced by sister wineries Tawse and Redstone. Before becoming director of viticulture and winemaking at Tawse and Redstone, he was a carpenter. When he developed an allergy to the dust and solvents, he went back to school to study winemaking at Niagara College in 2004. Pender’s interns ...
Niagara’s summer? It’s hot, and sticky. I tried a walk near my hotel in mid-July but could only find a large retail mall. It was early; the shops were still shut. Even so, I had to dodge from awning to awning, avoiding the prosecuting sun. I’ve been there in autumn, too, which happened to be mellow and easeful – though it can also be wild, wind-whipped, rain-drenched. The ‘shoulder seasons’ are feared here: you never know what’s coming. The first time I went it was deepest winter. That made an i ...
An electronic dart was tossed at us recently by Decanter reader Tim Frances from Kent. It landed on the screen of our magazine editor Amy Wislocki; Amy lobbed it across the virtual room to me, suggesting a column-length reply. ‘Here’s a poser,’ Tim began. ‘How do your experts grade a wine that they find intellectually well made, but that they truly madly deeply dislike? I’ve tasted wines I can admire dispassionately, but would stab my feet with forks rather than drink them. Must be a conundrum f ...
