Top 100 red wines of Ontario

Discover the top 100 best red wines of Ontario as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the red 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 red wine of Ontario

red 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 feijoada ( portuguese cassoulet ), mushroom, bacon and gruyere quiche or roast duck breast stuffed with foie gras confit.

Organoleptic analysis of red wine of Ontario

On the nose in the region of Ontario often reveals types of flavors of oaky, cigar or clove and sometimes also flavors of raisin, prune or dried fig. In the mouth in the region of Ontario is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins.

News from the vineyard of Ontario

Tributes paid to Paul Pender

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 ...

Best in Show: The top 50 wines of DWWA 2022

The 0.27% of entries awarded Best in Show at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards reflect the inspiring world of wine and quest for quality among winemakers globally, with 50 wines expressing the best of their categories. An all-time record for wines tasted at the world’s largest wine competition, it’s quite possible that Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 marks the largest-ever wine competition to be held in history. And of the record-breaking 18,244 wines tasted, just 50 were ...

Best in Show: The top 50 wines of DWWA 2022

The 0.27% of entries awarded Best in Show at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards reflect the inspiring world of wine and quest for quality among winemakers globally, with 50 wines expressing the best of their categories. An all-time record for wines tasted at the world’s largest wine competition, it’s quite possible that Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 marks the largest-ever wine competition to be held in history. And of the record-breaking 18,244 wines tasted, just 50 were ...