The Winery Downeys of Ontario

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.