The Winery Union of Niagara Peninsula of Ontario

Discovering the wine region of Niagara Peninsula

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.