An Introductory Guide to Canadian Wine

Among the newest entrants to the global fine wine map, Canada has quickly earned its place among the most exciting wine-producing countries in the New World. While its history of wine production begins in the early 19^th century, these last fifty years have observed rapid advancement for Canadian wine in both quality and production.

With outstanding sparkling wines, benchmark examples of icewine, and both cool climate and rich, powerful still bottlings, Canada’s wine industry is as diverse as it is vast. From Atlantic to Pacific, Nova Scotia to British Columbia, get to know the wines of Canada with this introductory guide.

Ontario’s wine regions are defined and moderated by the Great Lakes—with its largest region, the Niagara Peninsula, unfolding from the southwestern shores of Lake Ontario. The Niagara Peninsula extends toward Niagara Falls and the New York border. Much of the most sought-after vineyard territory sits on the Niagara Escarpment, a geological formation that barricades and recirculates breezes from the lake, reducing disease pressure and helping concentrate the grapes. Additional wine countries are found east of Toronto in Prince Edward County, as well as the Lake Erie North Shore adjacent to Michigan.

Ontario has gained global recognition for its achievements with cool climate winegrowing. Beyond Chardonnay, the region excels with such varieties as Riesling, Gamay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc, each of which have come to be thought of as regional signatures. Ontario’s most distinctive delicacy is icewine, for which it is the global leader in production. Icewine grapes are harvested beneath -8˚ C. Their frozen state allows for higher concentration of sugars, leading to an ethereal, finely chiseled dessert wine made typically from Riesling or Vidal, as well as the red Cabernet Franc.

British Columbia’s wine industry is concentrated in the Okanagan Valley, a vast, mountainous region built alongside lakes and in valleys among the Okanagan Range, a subbranch of the Cascades. While quite northerly, the Okanagan Valley is also continental in climate with warm summer days allowing for quite surprising ripeness, despite the latitude. Stylistically, Okanagan Valley wines share much in common with their American counterparts just across the border in Washington State. Powerful Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah wines grow in tandem with cooler fare like Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir.

The Similkameen Valley, just to the west and nestled against the United States, produces wines similar to the Okanagan Valley. Further toward the Pacific, the Fraser Valley finds more maritime climatic conditions, while Vancouver Island yields some of province’s most marginal wines.

Canada’s largest consumer of wine per capita, Quebec hosts the country’s third largest vineyard area, though it distantly trails Ontario and British Columbia. Much of Quebec’s continental, extreme climate is inhospitable to viticulture. Nevertheless, the province has made significant strides in recent years. Most quality Quebecois wine is grown in the Montérégie region and the Eastern Townships, south and southeast, respectively, of Montreal and against the Vermont border. While Quebec has observed some success with cooler climate vinifera grapes, such as Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, Gamay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Chardonnay, it excels with a number of hybrid grapes, including Frontenac, Vidal, Seyval Blanc, and Marquette. The best hybrid wines demonstrate the potential for these varieties on a global scale. Quebec also produces some icewine, as well as various fruit wines of quality.