
The history of Canadian winemaking is relatively short. Since 1970’s, its evolution has accelerated, and today, the country’s high-end wines can compete with any anywhere in the world.
When Eric the red, a Viking navigator and his cohorts first reached the shores of North America around 1000 A.D., they sighted wild vines and called the region Vineland. The wild grape varieties of vitis labrusca and – rotundifolia still thrive on the eastern shores of the continent. After French settlers arrived on the shores of what is today Quebec, and their clergy celebrated mass, wine was needed. Religious orders experimented with native fruit and made wine to the best of their ability.
The resulting wine never proved to be fine, even palatable, and but the worshippers consumed them out of respect for the clergy.
For centuries, wine was made from native grapes and consumed, but never enjoyed wide popularity due to their aromas and high acidity.
In 1811, Johann Schiller, a retired soldier of German origin, opened a winery in Cooksville, near Toronto. Reportedly, the wines were of acceptable quality. After 65 years (in 1866), a group of growers and investors purchased land on Pelee Island, then planted several varieties of vitis labrusca grapes and hybrids.
Pelee Island is the southernmost land in Canada, and on the same northern latitude, corresponding to northern California. It enjoys a relatively warm climate. The wines of this winery won awards in American agricultural fairs of the time.
The biggest boost of the industry occurred after the FTA (Free Trade Agreement) with the U.S.A. The government of the day decided to protect the brewing industry at the expense of the wine industry. The Canadian wine market was at least partially opened to California wineries, and Ontario winery managers knew that they could not compete with the huge wine making corporations of the sunny state.
In 1989 the VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) was created to improve quality and control, and as possible as to what was being bottled.
With some financial help from the Ontario government, vineyards were replanted with vitis vinifera grape varieties and wine quality started to improve gradually.
While in the early 1970’s there were 35 wineries in Ontario, today the number exceeds 100.
British Columbia developed slightly less rapidly, but today it produces outstanding wines. More and more entrepreneurs are investing in the Okanagan Valley, and Vancouver Island.
Canada, the second largest country of the world, experiences cold winters, but grape vines can endure cold temperatures up to – 25 C as long as there is no fluctuation. Yet occasionally, temperatures fall below – 25 C and vineyards are lost, but recent global warming trends mitigate cold winters, at least in southern Ontario.
Quebec vineyards are more prone to freezing temperatures and therefore growers must protect their vines by burying them under soil, and removing soil in April. This is an expensive undertaking and is reflected in the final price of their wines.
Beside Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Price Edward Island grow grapes and make wines.
VQA was created in 1989 in an attempt to improve quality and introduce the concept of terroir (combination of soil, climate, and aspect of vineyards) as has been practised in Europe for hundreds of years; first in Portugal, then in Hungary, followed by France, Italy, Germany, and Spain.
The VQA is based on the French appellation d’origine controllee laws with significant modifications.
Some of the most important VQA regulations are:
Grape varieties planted must be sanctioned
Ontario varietal wines must contain at least 75 per cent of the variety on the label and possess flavour typicity
All grapes must reach minimum natural sugar levels before picking
There are 56 approved grape varieties. Some are vitis vinifera, others hybrids. Vitis labrusca and – riparia or – rotundifolia varieties do not qualify for VQA wines.
The most popular vitis vinifera grapes varieties are: chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc, gewürztraminer, chenin blanc, viognier, aligote, pinot grigio (a.k.a pinot gris or grauburgunder or rulander), gruner veltliner, and pinot blanc for whites.
Seyval blanc, vidal (a cross between ugni blanc x sauvignon blanc), and few others are the hybrids used for white wines.
For red wines, growers plant – pinot noir, merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, gamay, nebbiolo (all vitis vinifera) and Marechal Foch, Baco noir, chancellor, chambourcin, Leon-Millot, Zweigelt and others (all hybrids).
VQA regulations do not specify yield per hectare, or prohibit irrigation. Some growers prune severely, reducing yield and improving flavour, others go the other way that becomes evident in the diluted taste of their wines. Although prices of the latter are low, the quality leaves a lot to be desired.
Most wine grapes in Canada are mechanically harvested to reduce cost and to avoid adverse weather conditions that dilute must quality.
While some chardonnay, and many red wines are barrel aged (anywhere from six months up to a year-and-a-half) in French or American oak barrel in a few instances Canadian oak barrels are used). Most wines are processed in stainless steel tanks.
The majority of wines are filtered, which causes flavour loss.
VQA wines must be submitted to an expert panel chaired by an L.C.B.O. appointed individual. Only wines that show varietal typicty and meet quality standards are approved.
Labels must contain the name (if a blend) or variety, vintage if and when applicable, alcohol content, the name and the address of the winery, and content of the bottle.
Bottles are enclosed with whole cork, or composite cork enclosures, synthetic materials, or screw cap. Tetrapacks are allowed for VQA wines.
Ontario’s wine producing regions:
By far, the largest and oldest wine-producing province is located on Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie. Ontario has approximately 6000 hectares of vineyards and contains four regions:
The Ontario Peninsula
Lake Erie North Shore
Pelee Island
Prince Edward County
The Peninsula on Lake Ontario was sub-divided into 10 sub-regions according to accumulated average temperatures, but not by soil type or soil composition, nor by aspect and incline i.e terroir
The sub-regions are:
Niagara Lakeshore
Four-Mile Creek
Niagara River
St. David’s Bench
Niagara Escarpment
Lincoln Lakeshore
Beamsville Bench
Short Hills
Vinemount Ridge
Twenty-Mile Bench
The Niagara Escarpment rises 175 metres and consists of glacial origin soils that drain well, and is cooler than vineyards closer to the lake, yielding more aromatic, appealing, and acid-driven, light wines.
The Bench consists mostly of clay soils that retain moisture well, and drain sufficiently resulting in high quality grapes.
Lakeshore sub-appellations (Niagara Lakeshore, Four Mile Creek, Niagara River and St. David’s Bench) are on flatland, and yield less aromatic, sweeter grapes resulting in pleasant wines, but they fail to cellar shorter periods than those from the Escarpment.
Riesling, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, gewürztraminer, viognier, and pinot blanc in the peninsula yield superior white wines, and pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and syrah for superior reds,
The Bench in front of the Escarpment is not continuous, but rather a complex system of small north facing slopes, divided by ravines with varying gradients.
The slopes provide good drainage. Bench vineyards cool slowly due to the mitigating effects of the proximity of the Lake.
Lake Erie North Shore, south and west of Toronto used to be tobacco “country”. It receives more sunshine than the Peninsula, has sandy loam soils, and potentially is more suited for
red grapes.
Pelee Island is located 25 kms off shore, has 220 hectares of totally flat vineyards, and enjoys a longer growing season (30 days longer) than the peninsula, but winters are colder.
Prince Edward County (P.E.C), east of Toronto and on the Lake Ontario, has 250 hectares of vineyards; the soil is rich in limestone.
Summers are short and winters are cold. Occasionally, vintages yield excellent fruit, but cold winters kill many vineyards that must be replanted. Vines can resist up to – 25 C; burying vines shortly before cold weather sets in is recommended, and often a must, but costly.
P.E.C growers prefer cold resistant and early ripening grape varieties and hybrids developed by the Geisenheim Vitivinicultural University and Research Station in Rheingau, Germany. Riesling hybrid Geisenheim 1 is one of the preferred hybrids. The best grape varieties for PEC seem to be riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir, all of which yield outstanding wines in successful vintages.
Ontario produces significant amounts of ice wines (in Canada it is spelled icewine) using riesling, vidal, gewürztraminer, pinot blanc, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc. By law, grapes must be harvested after they were frozen for at least 48 hours and at
- 8 C.
Ontario has now well over 100 wineries, but only Vincor, Andres, Colio, Pelee Island, and Magnotta are large, and enjoy satisfactory distribution at the L.C.B.O. and their own stores, except Magnotta, which owns and operates seven stores of its own in Greater Toronto Area.
Vincor has 160 winery-owned stores, Andres a few less. These stores contribute to significant increase of sales as they are strategically located in large grocery stores exit doors.
The following Ontario wineries produce outstanding wines, vintage permitting – Stratus, Southbrook, Reif, Lailey, Chateau des Charmes, Le Clos Jordanne, Vineland Estates, Closson Chase, Rosehall Run, Tawse, Konzelmann, Hidden Bench, Foreign Affairs, Ravine Vineyard, Pillitteri, Malivoire, Alvento, Featherstone, and Merrynissen.
British Columbia on the Pacific Ocean coast has approximately 3700 hectares under vines.
Now it has 160 wineries, most of which are located in the Okanagan valley that stretches from Vernon in the north to the American border at 49 N parallel.
Oblate missionaries planted the first vines in British Columbia in 1859. Commercial grape growing was started by W. C. Wilcox in 1907, and the Colona winery was opened in 1931.
In 1974 the province imported 4000 vines and planted 18 sites to determine the best suitable varieties.
Vitis labrusca varieties were uprooted five years later, and when the FTA (Free Trade Agreement with the U S A) opened the protected market in 1988, wineries had a chance to compete on quality.
VQA rules were developed based on the Ontario model, but modified.
Merlot, pinot, noir, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, syrah, Marechal Foch, and Zweigelt are the preferred grapes for red wines.
Pinot gris (pinot grigio, grauburgnder, rulander) chardonnay, gewürztraminer, riesling, sauvignon blanc, bacchus, and ehrenfelser, for white wines are preferred.
British Columbia produces white and red wines in equal quantities. Some sparkling, and ice wines are also produced.
British Columbia’s wine regions are:
Okanagan Valley, (95 per cent of the production) with Kelowna, Naramata, Okanagan Falls, Golden Mile and Black Sage/Osoyoos as sub-regions.
Similkameen Valley
Fraser Valley
Vancouver Island
Gulf Islands
Okanagan Valley in the south is desert like, and vineyards must be irrigated, but grapes ripen fully.
Many wineries in this province produce outstanding wines, but most can be obtained only in
the province and neighbouring Alberta where alcoholic beverage sales were privatized well over a decade ago.
Osoyoos-Larose, a Vincor-Groupe Taillan from Bordeaux joint project produces Bordeaux-style red wines of outstanding quality, as does Sandhill, Mission Hill, Howthorn Mountain, Gehringer Brothers, Domain Combret, and Burrowing Owl.
British Columbia’s per capita wine consumption is 17 litres, whereas Quebec’s is 18, and Ontario’s 11. Yukon’s per capita wine consumption is 20.
British Columbians are enthusiastic supports of the province’s wines.
Quebec
When Jacques Cartier sailed the St. Lawrence River westward, he noticed vitis riparia vines growing wild on the Ile d’Orelans in the middle of the river. Monks planted these vines hoping to make sacramental wine, but their efforts resulted in undrinkable wines, even devout parishioners could not drink it for communion.
Samuel de Champlain attempted to plant vitis vinifera vines in 1608 around the city of Quebec but all succumbed to Quebec’s harsh winter. French were more interested in wine, as they were used to in their home country, and for communions.
On the other hand, when the English defeated the French in 1760, they emphasised and promoted spirits (gin, whisky, and rum).
Viticulture did survive but barely. In 1864 the government encouraged importing hybrid vines developed by American researchers, and hybridisers, but this time around the “temperance” movement got in the way until well into the 20th century.
Quebec wineries made wine using imported grape juice concentrates, must, and even fresh grapes from California but the wines were at best acceptable, and at worst undrinkable.
In the 1980’s serious efforts were made to establish a viable wine industry starting in the eastern townships around Dunham.
Today, Quebec has five distinct regions – Montregie, Quebec City, Lanaudiere, the Laurentians, and the Eastern Townships.
There are 30 plus “artisan” wineries that survive because Montrealers and Quebecois can travel to each and taste the wine before making buying decisions.
The SAQ (Societe des Alcohols du Quebec/ Quebec Liquor Control Bard) does not carry any of the wines the “artisan” wineries produce with the reasoning that the small volume cannot justify province wide distribution. But Quebec grocery stores sell domestic beer, and convenience stores locally produced wines.
Grape growing in Quebec is more costly than in southern Ontario, of British Columbia as vines must be buried shortly after harvest to protect them from – 30 C and lower winter temperatures. In the spring, the earth covering vines must be removed. More fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides and pesticides must be used to prevent a number of diseases.
Wineries produce red and white still wines, roses, sparkling wine, and ice wines and straw wines (vins de paille).
For white wines the following grape varieties are planted – Geisenheim, gewürztraminer, michurinetz, New York Muscat, sabrevois, Seyval blanc, vandal cliché, vidal, swanson, and St Croix.
For red wines growers prefer cabernet franc, cabernet severnyi, chelois, De Chaunac, gamay, Marechal Foch, Baco noir, black Seyval, chancellor, iona, and frontenac.
Quebec’ per capita wine consumption is 18 litres, 94 litres for beer just behind Yukon.
Quebec wines are acid driven, low in alcohol, pale and delicate and more suitable with fatty stews, casseroles, roasts with creamy sauces, deep-fried seafood, and pan-fried fish fillets in clarified butter.
Nova Scotia
This maritime province located between latitudes north 44 – 47 is exposed to Atlantic Ocean’s cold winds and is on the margin between viticulture and apple orchards.
Yet, Nova Scotia has had a long tradition for viticulture dating back to the 1600’s.
For almost quarter of a century Nova Scotia wineries used grapes grown in the Annapolis Valley, Malagash Peninsula, and LaHave River Valley, they are now starting to buy from emerging regions.
Mostly acid-driven, fruity, light and low alcohol wines emerge from Nova Scotia’s wineries.
The white wines are very stable for pan-fried scallops, and other seafood abundantly available in this province. For white wines growers plant – Ortega, Riesling, l’Acadie blanc, New York Muscat, Seyval blanc, vidal, chardonnay, castel, and experimental hybrids in an attempt to discover new suitable species.
For red wines the following varieties are planted – pinot noir, Baco noir, Leon-Millot, Marechal Foch, Luci Kuhlman, and other experimental varieties. Lately Benjamin Bridge winery started producing sparkling wines with appropriate acidity and fruit using the classic methode Champenoise technique for sparkling wine production.
The wineries – Bear River Vineyards, Blomidon Estate Winery, Gasperau Vineyards, Domaine de Grand Pre, Jost Vineyards, Lunenburg County Winery, Petit Riviere Vineyards, Ste. Famille Wines, and Benjamin Bridge.
 |
Never miss a post! subscribe via RSS or subscribe via e-mail. Post writer – Hrayr Berberoglu – E-mail – Read his books? Professor B offers seminars to companies and interested parties on any category of wine, chocolates, chocolates and wine, olive oils, vinegars and dressings, at a reasonable cost.
|