To understand wine in Ontario, Canada, you just need to look at two maps.First, let me answer what everybody outside Canada is asking: Why should you care? There are some world-class wines being made in Ontario that you can buy from wine shops in New York and have shipped anywhere
The nose smells of honeydew melon and coconut cream. Melon and pear, with a very light background of lemon and smoke, show on the palate. Acids are low, the mouth feel soft. There is an interesting dusty sensation on a rather short finish. Drink with butternut squash soup. Recommended. 86
In cooler winegrowing areas, one could easily think that the appearance of a warm, dry, sunny vintage would always be greeted with enthusiasm and happiness by winegrowers and winemakers. The reality, however, is more nuanced: very hot years can be as much of a challenge as cool, wet ones. It
2008 was a tough vintage in Ontario: a rainy spring and early summer and, after a bit of a sunny reprieve in July and August, more grey and rainy weather for most of the fall. Obtaining full ripeness and balance in red wines, even for the early ripening pinot noir,
The relationship between tradition and innovation is not a linear one. Sometimes, it can even go full circle. Take appassimento, for instance, an Italian tradition of partially drying grapes before turning them into wine that is taking hold considerably in Canada’s Niagara region. The appassimento style of winemaking began in
These days, the Niagara region, in Ontario, is all about the drink that first brought it international recognition and fame: icewine. Harvested when the true cold of winter hits, yet shining with sunny, heartwarming aromas, this high-priced elixir allowed the-read more-
Very clear, with barely a yellow tint. The flavor is almost entirely lemon- lemon juice, lemon peel, and lemon custard. The flavors do not change from attack to finish. The wine is too one-dimensional to earn a recommendation from this-read more-
Ten years ago, there was hardly a vine in the area, and now over thirty wineries are active. Closson Chase is one of the very best (along with Long Dog, Norman Hardie, By Chadsey’s Cairn and Rosehall Run), with careful-read more-