Niagara Peninsula is the largest and most productive viticultural area in Canada, located on the Southern shores of Lake Ontario. It stretches roughly 55km (35 miles) between the eastern limits of Hamilton city in the west and the left bank of the Niagara River as it flows into Lake Ontario. The VQA covers over 13,000 acres (5,200 hectares) oand produces mainly cool Climate varieties such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. It also produces a large Volume of ice wine.
Indeed, 90 percent of Canada's ice wine is made here, which makes the region the biggest producer of the style on earth. Needless to say, most other styles of wine are covered in Niagara Peninsula, from rosé and Sparkling wines, to Central-ranges/orange">Orange wines and Pét-nats (Pétillant naturels).
The region boasts nearly 100 wineries, producing over 10 million litres of wine annually.
The geographical Niagara Peninsula appears within the strip of land that runs west-to-east between Lake Ontario in the North and Lake Erie in the south.
The "peninsula" is formed by the Niagara River that flows northwards, between the two lakes. The river also marks the international boundary between Ontario, Canada and the US state of New York.
The viticultural zone is confined to the northern half of the Peninsula, however, between the southern shore of Lake Ontario and the land just south of the Niagara Escarpment. The Escarpment, a 650-mile-long (1050km) limestone ridge that runs from upstate New York through the Great Lakes region, has a profound effect on the Terroir here.
Pinot noir is a grape variety that originated in France (Burgundy). It produces a variety of grape specially used for wine making. It is rare to find this grape to eat on our tables. This variety of grape is characterized by small bunches, and small grapes. Pinot noir can be found in many vineyards: Burgundy, Alsace, Jura, South-West, Languedoc & Roussillon, Cognac, Bordeaux, Savoie & Bugey, Loire Valley, Champagne, Armagnac, Lorraine, Beaujolais, Rhône Valley, Provence & Corsica.
white wines from the region of Niagara Peninsula go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of ideas for savoury pancake toppings, grilled mackerel with garlic and herbs or quiche without eggs.
On the nose in the region of Niagara Peninsula often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, red fruit or straw and sometimes also flavors of yellow apple, petroleum or orange. In the mouth in the region of Niagara Peninsula is a powerful with a nice freshness.
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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 ...
For those unfamiliar with the Vino de Pago qualification, it was created in Spain in 2003 to certify singular estates (pagos) as Protected Denominations of Origin. While not a requisite, it’s generally implemented by individual wineries looking to gain protected status for a single vineyard site within their domain. This is the case for Abadía Retuerta which is an estate of 700ha, of which 180ha is planted to vine. While located within the Duero Valley, the site resides within the borders of Sar ...
