Taste Cloudsley Cellars wines with Adam Lowy in New York

Meet Adam in person and taste Cloudsley Cellars wines in the Grand Tasting room at Decanter's Fine Wine Encounter New York on 6 June.

At the table with Adam Lowy

Food and wine pairing

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There is a particular stillness to Niagara in early spring – before the canopy fills in, before certainty returns.

Yet it also carries an electric energy.

It is a season of emergence: on the heels of winter’s last chill, sunlight breaks through and the promise of warmer days builds. Budbreak is on the horizon.

And new wines begin to emerge from the cellar revealing familiar annual releases and first-time bottlings; all imbued with the energy of Niagara’s crisp spring. These are wines that are vivid, lifted, and alive.

If there is a constant in Niagara, it is acidity. Tasting these wines offers a clear reminder of its defining role: sometimes bright and striking, at other times a subtle structural thread, carrying each wine forward with lift and focus.

More than a single feature, acidity shapes the wines from within, bringing length and precision. And in springtime, this freshness feels doubly amplified.

The wines suggested below hold something of that moment: of definition emerging through restraint, of energy gathering just beneath the surface.

They are perfect wines for spring and the first taste of summer warmth.

Gamay: An emerging red expression

Gamay captures this energy well. Long valued for its vibrancy, it is increasingly revealing a nuanced expression in Niagara.

At Malivoire Wine Company, the variety remains a flagship, with a portfolio drawn from the Niagara Escarpment.

Bachelder, through an expanding range of single-vineyard bottlings, continues to refine Gamay into a messenger for site expression, each release sharpening the lens on Niagara’s 10 sub-appellations.

At Fielding Estate Winery, a lighter, more immediately expressive style highlights the grape’s charm and accessibility, while Tawse draws out a more textural example.

Together, these interpretations reveal Gamay’s range – from lifted and playful to structured and complex – yet always anchored by a core of freshness, its energy in tune with spring itself.

Pink: A spring and summer staple

Rosé, by colour alone, announces spring’s arrival. At Stone Eagle Winery, it balances delicacy with structure.

This is not a simple wine, but one that reflects Niagara’s ability to layer texture and nuance even within its most amorous seasonal style.

This rosé captures a fleeting early warmth in the air, while still grounded by the region’s defining tension.

Chardonnay: The classic white

Chardonnay remains Niagara’s anchor, its glistening acidity bringing both energy and definition.

Across the region, top examples continue to evolve, guided by site and winemaking decisions.

The Clos de Kew from Domaine Le Clos Jordanne reflects this deepening single-site focus, while wines from Long Way Home Winery and Westcott Vineyards explore tension, minerality, and structure.

These are Chardonnays that resist excess, instead celebrating clarity and energy.

Old vines and terracotta

Old vines offer a counterpoint to the uncertainty of spring. As vineyards navigate budbreak and frost, these mature plantings respond with a steady composure, their deep root systems and natural balance bringing a sense of resilience.

At Tawse, Stratus, Hidden Bench, and Westcott, this translates into wines of depth and wisdom, anchoring each vintage even in its most fragile moments.

Stratus Vineyards has taken this interplay of age and energy and given it a new dimension by using terracotta amphora.

Sourced from vines planted in 1985, its Amphora Chardonnay bridges history and evolution, highlighting mineral expression while preserving its delicate character.

As head winemaker, Dean Stoyka, says: ‘The amphora softens the edges without diminishing acidity. With old vines, it’s about careful management – preserving elegance while letting the structure speak.’

Fizz: Freshness crystallised

Sparkling wine, perhaps more than any other style, crystallises Niagara’s identity.

Hidden Bench Estate Winery uses that crisp Niagara acidity to form the foundation of its traditional method programme.

Precise and persistent, this acidity provides the structure needed to craft sparkling wines that reveal complexity and depth with extended time on lees.

If spring in Niagara asks questions of the vines, the wines selected here offer some of the first answers.

Shaped by risk, defined by energy, and carried, always, by an unmistakable thread of glistening acidity.

Ten perfect springtime wines from Niagara Peninsula

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Today’s Ontario Pinot Noir is a messenger. Once tentative and searching, it now speaks with clarity of place, vintage and intent. After reviewing more than 50 wines, Magdalena Kaiser reveals how, after five decades, Ontario is at the dawn of a golden age for this captivating varietal.

With every glass, Ontario Pinot speaks of place – shifting escarpments and glacial legacies, breezy benches and sun-warmed slopes. Each sub-appellation and single vineyard has a distinct voice, revealing subtle variations in soil, elevation and exposure.

Yet beneath this nuance lies a shared pulse: a vibrant core rooted in limestone and the whispered secrets of ancient lakebeds formed thousands of years ago.

Through Pinot Noir, the landscape becomes legible – virtually drinkable. As the grape evolves here, so too does the region’s understanding of what it means to craft wine with a true sense of place. This steady refinement has been over 40 years in the making.

Scroll down for a selection of Ontario’s best Pinot Noir

Believers and sceptics

Since the first Pinot Noir vines were planted in the early 1980s, there have always been believers – and sceptics. That’s still true. Perhaps it’s no surprise: Pinot Noir has a reputation for being difficult.

But isn’t it often the difficult things that turn out to be the most beautiful once they find their stride? When given the space they so deeply desire? When they do, they seduce you, leaving you wanting more, teaching you a kind of patience you never knew you had.

Many top Burgundian producers say Pinot Noir has no inherent taste, believing this bewitching grape reveals terroir more than any other.

That philosophy inspired Karl Kaiser, co-founder of Inniskillin Wines [Ed: for transparency, the author’s father], to spearhead Niagara’s first Pinot plantings in 1983 after carefully researching how this variety could thrive in Ontario’s climate.

It was a bold move at a time when growers were unfamiliar with this finicky grape. His belief laid the foundation for a decades-long journey of refinement and discovery.

‘Karl had a scientific mind and a deep curiosity,’ recalls winemaker David Sheppard, who worked closely with him. ‘He saw potential where others saw risk. Pinot was part of that vision and was the variety he most admired.’

Research-focused, Kaiser maintained that clone selection, vine density, low yields, carefully timed maceration and restrained oak use were essential for producing high-quality Pinot in Ontario. Others soon followed.

While Pinot isn’t the province’s most planted grape, it is undeniably one of its most important.

Ontario Pinot Noir’s renaissance

Ontario’s top Pinot producers have been fine-tuning their approach, allowing the grape’s transparency to shine through. As a result, most expressions are moderately pale – a quality that’s now embraced. That lightness reflects finesse, not a lack of substance.

Most of Ontario Pinot is planted with Dijon clones 115 and 777, but clonal diversity has long been of interest. Importing clean plant material has been a challenge, but that is beginning to shift.

Producers like Dobbin have recently planted a mix of Pommard, Dijon 439, 115, 777, 828, and 02A (from Vétroz, Switzerland) in its vineyards with the goal of creating complexity in their wines.

Montreal-based Master Sommelier Elyse Lambert has watched Ontario Pinot evolve over the years. ‘It’s easy to find a good Pinot Noir in Ontario today,’ she says, pointing to the value, structure, and restraint now common among the province’s top producers.

‘Especially at the high end, they’ve embraced a “less is more” philosophy. These are not part-time Pinot makers. They love it – and it shows.’

France-based sommelier Alexandre Freguin, the 2018 UK Best Sommelier winner, agrees. ‘Niagara Pinots stand out – in their crunchy, perfumed fruit and their broad, silky-but-firm mouthfeel – but they’re not trying to imitate.

There’s a flinty, stony edge and vibrant energy that speaks clearly of their own place. They’re authentic, and that’s what makes them so striking.’

See all Ontario Pinot Noir tasting notes and scores in our database

A place of complexity

Back in 2010, assembling a lineup of Ontario Pinots from different sub-appellations was a challenge. Today, producers bottle numerous single-site cuvées, especially in Niagara, which grows the majority of the province’s Pinot Noir.

Yet the cooler Prince Edward County also stands out, with some of Ontario’s most distinct expressions rooted in exposed calcareous soils.

Thomas Bachelder, a devoted champion of site expression, believes Niagara’s complexity lies in its very bones. ‘Shaped by centuries of glacial movement and crisscrossed by creeks spilling from the Niagara Escarpment, the region’s soils are hopelessly – and delightfully – complex,’ he says.

To embrace Ontario means embracing its unpredictability. Vintage variation isn’t just a challenge, it’s part of the story.

‘Each year brings mood swings,’ Bachelder adds with a grin. ‘To love terroir, you have to love unpredictability. We’re midwives, not sculptors, and we need to let the wine decide.’

If Niagara is a shining star, Prince Edward County is its poetic counterpart: cooler, edgier and fiercely site-driven. Dan Sullivan of Rosehall Run says,

‘Our Pinot could only taste the way it does because it’s grown here. It’s delicate, transparent, and we’ve learned to reduce maceration and our oak regime in order to allow it tell the story of this place.’

Few places in the world offer the precise conditions that fussy Pinot demands to strike that fine balance between elegance and power. It doesn’t tolerate shortcuts. It won’t let you hide.

It insists on honesty – and rewards those who pay attention. Producers are listening. They’re giving the grape what it needs, but not more than it asks for.

Ontario Pinot Noir is speaking clearly now, with stories shaped by a mere one million years of glacial activity.

Tasting notes for 25 top Ontario Pinots

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While the immediate imposition of broad-reaching tariffs has been postponed, the Canada-US trade war is far from over.

Trump stated that the pause is meant to ‘see whether or not a final economic deal with Canada can be structured [that is fair].’ So while Canada’s concessions on border security spending appear to satisfy some of Trump’s demands, he continues to signal that more must be done. Moreover, what constitutes ‘fairness’ seems to remain unclear to all but Trump himself.

Canadian trade policy falls under federal jurisdiction, so constitutionally, Premier Ford has limited options for directly retaliating against Trump’s threats.

However, as Ontario’s leader, Ford governs the province with the most at stake in a trade war. Alcohol taxation is federally controlled, but its sale and distribution are provincial matters – making an LCBO boycott an easy target. Ford’s other big push was to terminate Ontario’s nearly $100m contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink, but that is now also on hold.

From an economic standpoint, Ford’s proposed boycott was more symbolic than impactful. According to VIVI Economics, even with Manitoba and Nova Scotia joining in, these three provinces consumed 2.5 million cases of US wine in 2024, equivalent to just 1.1% of US production. While some smaller vineyards reliant on Canadian sales would feel the pinch, the overall US wine sector could weather the loss.

Furthermore, wine accounts for just 0.1% of all US exports to Canada – hardly a critical bargaining chip.

From a political perspective, Ford’s aggressive stance aligns with his election strategy. Taking a hard line against Trump bolsters his image as a defender of Canadian interests. For many Canadians, boycotting US alcohol serves as a symbolic rejection of Trump’s economic tactics.

Ford will likely reinstate the LCBO boycott if tariffs return – not just as retaliation but as a political signal of defiance.

Canadian consumers might notice the absence of US wines, but they would adjust. While five of the six top-selling wines in Canada are American, most US wines fall into the ‘above-average’ category – widely enjoyed but not irreplaceable. They currently occupy 12% of LCBO shelf space, a notable share but far from dominant. Meanwhile, alternative suppliers from France, Spain, Greece, Chile, Argentina, South Africa and Australia are well-positioned to fill the gap, having already scaled back vineyard acreage to better align supply with demand.

Beyond the immediate standoff, this dispute has intensified Canada’s growing ‘buy local’ movement. The Ontario government has seized on the moment, urging consumers to choose domestic wines and spirits over US imports. This shift aligns with broader trends in economic nationalism, which have gained traction across Canada. The US share of the Canadian wine market has already been shrinking over the past eight years – this conflict only accelerates that decline.

So, while the crisis may be paused, US winemakers remain in the crossfire with no clear resolution in sight.

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The 1970s marked the quality wine movement for Ontario and Canada at large. Riesling was there from the start, with the first vines planted in 1976.

As Canada’s largest viticultural area, Ontario currently has 18,000 acres (7,300ha) under vine. Riesling makes up approximately 1,600 acres of this, neck and neck with Chardonnay.

The Niagara Peninsula represents over 80% of all vines in the ground. It boasts Canada’s largest Riesling plantings by far and almost double that of the neighbouring Finger Lakes, also known for high-quality cool-climate Riesling in New York State.

Scroll down for 20 Ontario Rieslings worth seeking out

Classic conditions

Why is Niagara optimal for growing Riesling?

Before serious viticulture took root, the region was known as the Niagara Fruit Belt, which produces over 90% of the province’s tender fruit and is one of the richest fruit-producing areas in Canada.

Lake Ontario, part of the world’s largest freshwater system, moderates the continental cool climate, creating a Mediterranean-like mesoclimate during summer and fall harvest.

Winter-hardy Riesling appreciates how the lake delays bud-break and minimises spring frost risks, moderates hot summers and then radiates heat into autumn’s harvest for prolonged phenolic development in the berries.

The Niagara Peninsula has a complex topography and soil composition shaped around the Niagara Escarpment, a north-facing cliff formation peaking at 177m above sea level.

Old dolomitic limestone underpins the region’s geology, and 200,000 years of glacial events have created the diverse terroir that is evident in the delineated sub-appellations. Here, Riesling thrives, producing delicious fruit flavours in tandem with exhilarating acidity and moderate alcohol.

Pioneers and evolving styles

Not surprisingly, Ontario Riesling plantings were inspired by the region’s pioneering winemakers, many of Germanic and Austrian heritage. They brought winemaking techniques primarily focused on using natural sweetness to balance the electrifying acidity from this ‘New World’ region.

As a result, most Riesling was made in a range of off-dry to semi-sweet styles.

Interestingly, it was Cave Spring Vineyard, founded by partners with Italian roots, bet on the Riesling horse in the race to determine which varieties would flourish.

This pioneering producer has made its mark on the global Riesling scene for decades, mostly with off-dry to semi-sweet styles.

Other Riesling leaders like Charles Baker, Thirty Bench and Henry of Pelham, similarly – regularly win domestic and international acclaim with Rieslings that have a natural sweetness to balance the region’s bracing acidity.

Year after year, Niagara continues to be triumphant within this style range.

However, things have been evolving with Ontario Riesling for quite some time. Fifteen years ago, finding a Riesling made with less than 9g/L residual sugar was atypical.

I recall my mission of setting up winery visits for author John Haeger as he was researching for his book ‘Riesling Rediscovered – Bold, Bright and Dry’. It was challenging to find more than a handful of examples to fit within his dry criteria (9g/L or less).

Uncommonly dry

Coincidently, shortly thereafter, Ontario’s Riesling world changed. In 2010, winemaker co-owner Francois Morissette of Pearl Morissette gained a monumental following with his Black Ball Riesling. It was fully dry and a completely different expression of this variety for Niagara.

Gabe Demarco, winemaker and viticulturist at Cave Spring Vineyard believes that while Cave Spring’s original style became a benchmark for Canadian Riesling, they are not finished with their Riesling story.

Demarco is digging deep and questioning everything. He has transitioned all winemaking to wild ferments, and the winery is Canada’s first to isolate indigenous yeast in its home vineyard.

Soon to be launched is a Riesling aged in concrete, barrique-style vessels the winery had crafted from local limestone.

‘My mentor, Angelo Pavan, Canada’s iconic Riesling winemaker at Cave Spring Vineyard, has always encouraged me to push the limits of what’s possible,’ says Demarco. ‘Since I started working with him, he has always allowed me to experiment.

‘That, combined with the Riesling that Pearl Morissette started making in 2010, reconfirmed my suspicions were true – Niagara Riesling deserves bold winemaking with techniques uncommon in the region.’

Bright wines and a bright future

Others are following their own quests, proving that Riesling does not need a singular approach in Ontario.

Winemaker owner David Eiberg of Therianthropy is focusing on phenolic extraction in a natural wine style and fermenting his fully dry.

Dobbin Estate winery makes two styles of Riesling –each with different residual sugars, but in both cases, very textural. Multiple picks with some slightly botrytised berries, some skin contact, partial MLF, wild ferments, and a combination of stainless steel and neutral wood all contribute to their complexity.

Jake Skakun, partner and Wine Director at some of Toronto’s top wine bars and restaurants, including Grey Gardens, is happy to see this. He believes that pushing for a unified style of Riesling in Ontario could hinder the diversity of exceptional expressions.

He remarks: ‘I admire many delicate, off-dry Niagara Rieslings with bright acidity, balanced by just the right amount of sweetness. However, I am equally impressed by fully dry versions, where the region’s winemakers use techniques like lees ageing or malolactic fermentation to bring richness and texture while integrating the electrifying acidity.’

Last year, the Ontario Wine Appellation Authority, which certifies Ontario wines of origin with VQA, approved 156 still, varietal Riesling wines from 71 producers of the 194 wineries in Ontario.

Indeed, Ontario Riesling producers are producing multiple expressions of this variety. And this does not include the additional Riesling styles of Icewine, late-harvest, skin-fermented white (orange wine), and sparkling wine.

As Skakun says, Riesling has found a perfect home in Ontario and should be admired for its diversity. While the region’s dry examples are expanding the Riesling story, it’s worth remembering that those with some sweetness show exceptional elegance and balance.

With many vines now over 35 years-old, it’s inspiring to see a new era for Ontario Riesling – pushing boundaries, informed by wisdom.

Tasting notes for 20 top Ontario Rieslings:

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Winemakers and drinkers alike have embraced Gamay for its versatility, as well as its vibrant acidity and juicy fruit flavours, boosting the grape’s popularity to an all-time high.

Renowned in Beaujolais, where half of the grape’s 30,000 global hectares are grown, its best expression comes from cool climate regions, where the grape ripens early. It’s no surprise, therefore, that it’s finding its North American home in Canada.

But where it was once predominantly used and viewed as a blending grape, producers today are increasingly focusing on varietal and single-vineyard expressions.

Scroll down for 15 Canadian Gamays worth seeking out

Remarkable transformation

Canada’s wine scene has experienced a remarkable transformation over the last two decades. What was once a country famed only for ice wine is now being sought after for its varied offering.

‘It’s safe to say, “those who know” know that Canada makes some great still and sparkling wines,’ says Canadian writer and judge Janet Dorozynski, who works with the Canadian wine industry on international business development. ‘Perception has been shifting thanks to concerted international promotional efforts,’ she adds.

Canada’s own wine journey somewhat mirrors that of Gamay. Around the world, Gamay’s great handicap has long been its association with cheap and cheerful Beaujolais Nouveau. ‘It’s not perceived as serious,’ says Dorozynski.

But, thanks to more complex expressions coming from Beaujolais itself, bolstered by adoption in countries and regions as far-flung as New Zealand, Oregon, Chile – and Canada – opinions are changing.

Gamay is often overshadowed by the Burgundian varieties that thrive in cool climates, but it is emerging as an unexpected Canadian darling. Winemakers in both British Columbia (BC) and Ontario are crafting Gamay wines that reflect the grape’s natural attributes and the nuances of their terroirs.

Ontario

Gamay represents a mere 3% of Ontario’s VQA wine production by volume. While small, it’s much friendlier to make than its aristocratic Burgundian parent, Pinot Noir.

Ilya Senchuk, co-founder and winemaker at Niagara’s Leaning Post Wines, explains: ‘It’s much more like Chardonnay in the sense that you can do lots of different things with it.’

From rosé to a component in bold and structured blends to lighter varietal expression, ‘you can use the same grapes to make three or four different styles of wine’.

There’s no doubt that varietal expressions are where the grape is seeing the most growth. VQA Ontario reports that Gamay’s production volume went from around 170,000 litres to just over 300,000 between 2014 and 2023.

That increase was shared across 40 producers, up from just over 20 who included the grape in their portfolio in 2014. One in particular, Thomas Bachelder, produces eight single-vineyard Niagara Cru Gamay Noirs (and one blend) under his annual ‘La Violette’ release.

‘It’s a lovable weed,’ Bachelder says, referring to the grape’s ability to yield up to six tons per acre in a good vintage [roughly 114hl/ha – but dependant on planting density], double that of Pinot Noir. Bachelder’s Gamay portfolio centres solely on the Niagara Escarpment, spanning four sub-appellations.

‘We’re on clay and limestone, and so is half of Beaujolais. The lower half outside the crus, the Bas Beaujolais and the Pierre Dorées are the definitions of clay and limestone,’ he explains when comparing Niagara’s terroir to Gamay’s French homeland.

Senchuk adds: ‘There aren’t too many places in the New World that have a similar soil and climate to the Old World, but Niagara is it.’

British Columbia

Western Canada is full of diverse terroirs for Gamay, with expressions coming from multiple Geographical Indications (GIs), including Vancouver Island, Thompson Valley, Okanagan Valley, and Similkameen Valley.

The Okanagan’s valley floor is too warm to grow Gamay, so, ‘you tend to find most successful examples further north or at higher altitudes,’ says Ryan de Witte, winemaker at Rust Wine Co, which makes its Gamay from Similkameen Valley grapes.

‘We have two main things in our favour: a drying prevailing wind that allows us to farm the grapes with limited disease pressure and higher mountains that shade the vineyards at the warmest time of day,’ he explains.

De Witte is a former colleague of Ilya Senchuk at Leaning Post and was able to segue his Gamay cultivation across the country. ‘In Ontario, where the acidities tend to be higher, the wines require more barrel ageing. It takes longer for them to resolve and unwind. Here [in BC], they tend to be more open earlier in their evolution.’

Statistics from BC Winegrowers show that Gamay was once among the top five red varieties planted in the province, along with Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc.

However, Syrah took its place in the early 2000s. Despite being ousted from the top five, Gamay plantings have increased substantially over the last 15 years, from 57ha (143 acres) in 2008 to 103ha (256 acres) in 2022, a province-wide increase of 44%.

In those years, however, BC has experienced increasingly unpredictable weather, including growing-season wildfires and, recently, two back-to-back winters with harsh cold snaps in the Okanagan, resulting in a significant crop losses.

Dorozynski cites recently published VineAlert research, which has uncovered Gamay as one of Canada’s most cold-resistant Vitis vinifera varieties. It ‘warrants further study to assist with replanting decisions,’ she says.

A timely remark as BC’s provincial government recently announced C$70 million (£41million) to help producers replace damaged, diseased and low-producing vines, plants, and trees with climate-resilient varieties that produce in-demand, premium fruit.

Canadian Gamay is helping to reshape the country’s wine landscape. With its versatility, regional expressions, and resilience to climate challenges, the grape is carving a distinct niche.

It may help solidify Canada’s position as a serious player in the fine wine conversation. ‘Wineries need to put their best foot forward and make an effort to have trade and media taste and learn more about what makes Canadian Gamay exciting,’ Dorozynski concludes.

Tasting notes for 15 Canadian Gamays:

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Telling people I was heading on a work trip to the Niagara Peninsula, in Canada’s eastern province of Ontario, the response was invariably ‘oh, for the Icewine’. Even friends from my birth city of Ottawa, Canada’s capital and a 5.5-hour drive from the heart of the winelands, were surprised that anything else would lure a wine writer across the pond.

Just as there are lingering outdated perceptions that all Sherry and German Riesling is sweet and old fashioned, it seems there’s still a way to go to convince the general public that Ontario has many (many) more strings to its winemaking bow.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores of 20 Ontario Chardonnay wines to try

While growers planted the first vinifera vines of the modern era in 1974, with the first winery licence post-prohibition registered in 1975, the Ontario wine industry didn’t really kick off domestically until the 1990s. The first wine (yes, an Icewine) didn’t hit British shelves until 2001, and by 2013 – only a decade ago – there were still only three Ontario wineries exporting still wines to the UK.

That number has since tripled, but boutique production coupled with high export costs mean that for many Ontario producers, keeping back an allocation for export, knowing it could immediately be sold to a captive domestic market, is just not a viable option. And, in a familiar vinous vicious cycle, this contributes to the lack of awareness of Ontario’s increasingly serious-quality wines, of which Chardonnay is the star, representing 9.4% of Ontario’s grape production in 2022 (data from Wine Marketing Association of Ontario).

To increase my own awareness, I recently spent a week in the Niagara region, about an hour’s drive from Toronto, getting to grips with its geology and geography, which is key to the elegance, structure, density and vibrancy of these ageworthy wines.

Niagara Peninsula – the lay of the land

Today, more than 190 wineries operate under Ontario’s Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) appellation system, with 100 of them in the Niagara Peninsula – the largest area under vine in Canada, with 5,500ha.

This is a terroir-driven region, and the winemakers regularly reference Burgundy when talking about villages, slopes, limestone bedrock and cool climate – perhaps natural given the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (both still and sparkling) they excel in. And like Burgundy’s crus, decades of grape-growing and research has identified 10 distinct growing areas.

Starting from the east is the Niagara-on-the-Lake regional appellation, under which sit four sub-appellations, with Four Mile Creek being the largest and St David’s Bench notable for its elevations of up to 180m. About 20km west, past the town of St Catherines and right along the shores of Lake Ontario, are the Niagara Peninsula sub-appellations of Creek Shores and Lincoln Lakeshore. Apart from St David’s Bench, all these other sub-appellations lie on the plain, the vines planted in a mix of loamy clay sand and silt. The area around the town of Grimsby, however, less than 1.5km from the lake, and whose limestone- rich hillside vineyards abut the benchlands, has a unique terroir and is in the process of seeking its own sub-appellation.

Rising above the plain, planted on a 30m fossil-rich limestone slope carved out by glacial activity and rising to 185m in elevation, are the benchlands of the Niagara Escarpment, home to three sub-appellations stretching across more than 25km, including the heralded Twenty Mile Bench and Beamsville Bench.

Finally, above them, just over the undulating brow of the escarpment, on a mix of limestone and loam, is Vinemount Ridge, whose east- and south-facing vineyards – the highest in Niagara at 200m – are unique.

Unique because all the Peninsula’s other vineyards face north, which might seem unusual in such a cool-climate wine region, but all possible because of Lake Ontario. In winters perfect for Icewine, the lake moderates the climate and also cools down the vines during the hot, humid summers here – the Peninsula shares the same 43°N latitude as Tuscany.

This moderating influence helps give Niagara Chardonnays in particular real grace and electricity through marked acidity. Winemakers are, in general, hands off in the cellar, preferring foudres and puncheons to barrels and tending to use less new oak in order to maximise sense of place and fruit purity. Long lees contact, but no stirring, tempers bracing acidities and also contributes to the wines’ texture.

County & Valley

Moving some 300km east, across to the opposite shore of Lake Ontario, you reach Prince Edward County, Ontario’s most northerly appellation and home to 29 wineries. Water surrounds its low-lying, low-yielding vineyards on limestone bedrock and stony soils, with cold winters and hot summers again moderated by the lake.

Burgundian varieties are predominant here, both still and sparkling, but Chardonnay has the edge, achieving ripeness at just 12% alcohol (12.5% in Niagara), but with similar concentration and nervy acidity, the best showcasing delicate florals and a distinctive flinty minerality.

If friends in Ottawa were unaware of the quality of table wines made along Lake Ontario, they will be even more shocked to know that impressive Chardonnays are being made on their doorstep. Some 250km north of Prince Edward County, the Ottawa River Valley is one of Ontario’s emerging wine regions, just a 30-minute drive from Canada’s Parliament. There are only a handful of producers, but the limestone-rich soils and warm summers are ideal for cool-climate varieties.

Ontario’s remaining VQA region, Lake Erie North Shore, and three other emerging regions produce good wines from a range of varieties but the terroir doesn’t suit Chardonnay.

I’ve spent a lot of time on terroir but, as every Burgundy lover knows, that’s what makes great wines. This was amply demonstrated at the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration, which marked its 13th year at its July event in Niagara, where more than 30 Ontario wineries stood shoulder to shoulder with others from across Canada as well as Burgundy, Jura, Italy, New Zealand, Germany and Chile.

Ontario Chardonnay, particularly those from Niagara’s benchlands, are world class – even if most of the world hasn’t yet had the opportunity to discover them. It’s only a matter of time before that changes. Until then, here are 20 to try…

Ontario Chardonnay: 20 top wines to buy

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A couple of decades ago, tourists came to Prince Edward County for the thrill of the great outdoors. Golden beaches. Glassy lakes. Rolling fields studded with photogenic dilapidated barns and mom-and-pop farm shops. Those things are still here, and people still come for them, but they’re no longer the main draw. Most weekenders who make the drive about 2.5 hours east from buzzy Toronto in summertime are keen to experience just one thing: Ontario’s most exciting new wine scene.

Practically an island, Prince Edward dangles by a thin strip of land from southern Ontario – it’s almost entirely surrounded by the gently lapping surf of Lake Ontario and dotted with other bodies of water. Because of its unusual climate, it has long produced excellent orchard fruit – and, as local winemakers have established in recent years, it is also capable of producing quality grapes.

But viticulture here is not simple. The icy, snowy winters can easily kill vines, so the plants must be protected so they can survive. In autumn, the vines are either ‘hilled up’ with earth or covered with a layer of protective fabric. In spring, when the thaw comes, they must be carefully uncovered again, as can be seen in Traynor Vineyards’ blog ‘A year in the vineyard’. Costs are high and yields are low.

But the effort is worth it: Prince Edward County’s wine scene is immensely exciting. While there is slowly a regional style being established – lean Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are particularly promising – there aren’t yet any fixed rules among the region’s three dozen or so producers. You’ll find some winemakers working with niche hybrid varieties such as Marechal Foch and Baco Noir. Redtail Vineyards produces pét-nats, carbonic maceration field blends and low-intervention Rieslings, and has even joined forces with local breweries. In comparison to the glossy, more conventional wineries in the long-established Niagara Peninsula region to the south of Toronto or the Okanagan Valley in Canada’s western province of British Columbia, Prince Edward County still feels edgy and pleasingly unpolished.

A tasting tour

Most of the wineries of note are clustered in the County’s west, hugged by Consecon Lake to the north and beachy Sandbanks Provincial Park to the south. Public transport is almost non-existent, so you’ll need a car to explore, but the drives are never far: usually five to ten minutes between cellar doors.

Start at Closson Chase, in Hillier, one of the County’s benchmark estates – it’s impossible to miss with its giant purple barn and picturesque church featuring a Beaune-style patterned roof. Inside at the tasting bar the elegant, precise Chardonnays should be the first thing you tackle. The Grande Cuvée comes with toasty, nutty notes and a fresh lick of acidity.

Just down the road heading west, innovative sparkling wine specialist Hinterland is an entirely different proposition. Ancestral-method rosé and Charmat-method Riesling-Vidal blends join a fortified, aperitif-style ratafia Chardonnay. The L’Imparfait range, meanwhile, is pushing the boundaries of County winemaking – made in conjunction with one of Canada’s top chefs, David McMillan, it includes a spontaneous-ferment Savagnin and a co-fermented Blaufränkisch and Gewurztraminer blend.

Somewhere between the two producers stylistically – and just a few minutes’ drive back east – you’ll find The Old Third Vineyard. Here owners Bruno François and Jens Korberg stick predominantly to leading County varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gamay), but all the wines are unfined and unfiltered. The tasting room, set in a vast old barn, is particularly atmospheric. Its pasta bar serves up fresh handmade pasta during peak summer season, too. If you’d like to keep tasting, you’ll find plenty more wines worth sipping. Further east, in Bloomfield, Huff Estates has an enticing, easy-drinking sparkling rosé Cuvée Janine, made with equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Keint-he in Wellington has earthy, cherried single-vineyard Pinot Noirs; nearby Grange makes Rieslings, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay.

In most cases you won’t need appointments, although it’s always best to check, and you can book if you need to. Tasting fees (typically $7-$15 for a flight) are waived if you buy a bottle or two. It would be remiss not to mention the Norman Hardie Winery (see below), in Wellington. Although his name is under a cloud, there is no doubt that Black River Cheese Hardie is responsible for much of Prince Edward County’s success. The winery continues to make great wines, though there are many people who still boycott it on principle of the allegations that emerged in 2018.

Rural pleasures

Drinks enthusiasts don’t just come out to the County for the wines, though. The region is also gaining attention for its beers and ciders (remember that orchard fruit fact: this was once apple country). Gillingham Brewing Company makes tropical IPAs, a Belgian-style tripel and an oatmeal stout, served up on sun-warmed picnic benches. Crimson Cider Company produces an off-dry hopped cider, and The County Cider Company makes a Somerset-style bottling blended using bittersweet and bittersharp varieties and the estate’s Golden Russets.

Good drink and good food often go hand in hand – and they certainly do in Prince Edward County. As chefs and artisan makers have relocated from the likes of Toronto and Montreal, they’ve brought a new standard of dining to the area’s quaint main towns, Wellington, Bloomfield and Picton. Now you can feast on Mexican or Japanese fare as good as you’ll find in any major city, find a perfect frothy flat white made with locally roasted coffee beans or buy artisan goodies from a range of chic delis. But despite the trendy shift, the overall feel is authentic rather than overly fussy – you’ll still find homemade lemonade, traditional diners and dusty antique shops in the jumble.

And when you’re indulged to the brim? Prince Edward County has more to make you want to linger. Here’s where the region’s classic outdoor delights come in. You can spend an afternoon sunning yourself on powdery dunes at Sandbanks Provincial Park (see ‘My perfect weekend’, below), lapped by cool Lake Ontario waters. You can hire a kayak or canoe and paddle past forested shores, keeping eyes peeled for deer or coyotes. You can spend a Saturday night nibbling popcorn at a retro drive-in movie (see ‘Saturday’, below).

And when you’ve tired yourself out with all that exploring, there’s no need to hit the highway straight back to Toronto. In the last few years the County has seen an explosion in superb places to stay, which can easily transform your day trip into a brilliant gourmet long weekend. Whether you prefer a funky renovated motel such as The June, a Victorian-era stay like Merrill House or designer inn Mirazule (see below), you’ll find it all – and more – here.

My perfect weekend in Prince Edward County

Friday

Most must-visit wineries are in the County’s west, the side closest to Toronto, so dive into tastings as soon as you arrive, hitting the spots listed in this article. In between, line your stomach with a doorstop-sized sandwich at Flossie’s Sandwiches, a food kiosk in Hillier outside a cute garden shop, or vegan wraps and locally roasted coffee at Good Place in Wellington. But save room for dinner later at Flame & Smith in Bloomfield, where a Japanese-influenced menu includes hot-smoked hamachi. Finally, drop your bags at glossy design-forward pad Mirazule, 20 minutes southeast, where hosts Ian and Miguel await with a warm welcome and bottomless glasses of local Casa-Dea fizz.

Saturday

Wake up to sweeping views of Lake Ontario (and Miguel’s home-baked banana loaf), then ready yourself for a day of old-school County charm. Start with nearby Vicki’s Veggies, an honesty shop heaving with sauces and preserves, then stock up on dairy-based delights at Black River Cheese, open since 1901. Further east, the scenic County Road 8 hugging the water carries you to cideries, more wineries and roadside shack Waupoos Tarts (2596 County Road) for gooey, sugary butter tarts – a classic Ontario treat. In the afternoon, explore Picton’s cute boutiques before dinner at downtown’s The Royal Hotel. Visiting in summer? Catch a post-sunset film at The Mustang Drive-In, a slice of retro rural Canadiana 10 minutes away.

Sunday

Start your last day with a morning stroll along the powdery tree-lined dunes at Sandbanks Provincial Park by West Lake (check ontarioparks.com to book a permit in advance). You’ve probably picked up enough snacks for a picnic by now but, if not, grab a tasting platter of Canadian oysters at relaxed Sand & Pearl nearby. Follow with an ice cream at Slickers and homewares shopping in pretty Bloomfield, eight minutes away back along route 12, then work your way through the cideries and breweries just outside town. Stop off at nearby Oeno Gallery at Huff Estates for contemporary Canadian art, then as you meander back west towards Toronto, tick off any wineries you missed on Friday

Your Prince Edward County address book

Accommodation

Drake Devonshire, Wellington

This outpost of Toronto’s funky Drake Hotel in Wellington was the first hotel to draw cool city folk to the County. Rooms are plastered in colourful art and loud prints, and the restaurant serves up a first-rate maple syrup-infused Old Fashioned.

Mirazule, Milford

The intimacy of a B&B, with style straight out of Wallpaper* magazine. Anglo-Canadian couple Ian and Miguel built their dream contemporary home on a prime stretch of Lake Ontario waterfront, and offer a one-of-a-kind hotel experience. PEC stays don’t get more exclusive.

Wander the Resort, nr Wellington

Inspired by Canadian cottage culture, this sleek new lakefront resort has standalone designer cabins with open-plan kitchens, fire pits for toasting marshmallows and enough space to sleep four. The central clubhouse sells locally made goodies, including pottery from Picton’s Ye11ow Studio.

Restaurants & cafés

La Condesa, Wellington

Great Mexican food isn’t what you’d expect to find in rural Canada, but with a chef from Cancún and fabulous homemade tortillas, La Condesa is sublime. The tuna tostadas and cochinita tacos are unforgettable. Be aware, though, it’s no reservations, and very popular.

Norman Hardie, Wellington

Pizza and Pinot Noir – can you think of a better combo? The sunny terrace at one of the County’s most established wine producers really draws the crowds on warm summer days.

The Dining Room at The Royal, Picton

Chef Albert Ponzo has opened the County’s most exciting new restaurant in the heart of the newly refurbished Royal Hotel. Expect Fogo Island cod with béarnaise sauce or brown butter cappelletti with squash. Much of the produce comes from the hotel’s own farm.

The Marans, Picton

Eclectic, homely fare in downtown Picton. Also check out their casual café, Bantam, recently relocated to Closson Chase winery (see above).

Shopping

Fifth Town, nr Waupoos East

This artisan cheese producer makes its goat cheddars and truffle-infused semi-softs in a certified eco-dairy in the County’s eastern reaches.

Kinsip, Bloomfield

The main draw at this boutique spirits producer is supposed to be the small-batch rye whisky. But in-the-know shoppers don’t leave without a bottle of Kinsip’s whisky barrel-aged maple syrup in hand, too.

Slake Brewing, Picton

Maker of some of PEC’s most interesting beers – it even offers, when in stock, a grape ale infused with Gewurztraminer from Redtail Vineyards. The tasting room perched in the hills comes with great views, too.

How to get there

The nearest international airport to Prince Edward County is Toronto Pearson. UK travellers can fly from London Gatwick (7.5hrs) or Heathrow (8hrs). From Toronto head east on highway 407, then continue on the 401 – it’s a 2.5hr (210km) drive to Prince Edward County. Car hire options at Toronto Pearson include Avis, Hertz and National/Alamo.

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Once a rural pocket of fruit farmers, hobby fishermen and cottage-goers, Ontario’s Prince Edward County has undergone a radical reinvention over the past decade. The vast crumbling barns and sleepy towns – perched enticingly by beach-fronted lakes or rolling fields – have been spruced up and hipster-ified. Weekending couples from Toronto, two hours west, come to raid its cute antique shops, sip sours at its breweries and feast on wood-fired pizzas in its glut of cool restaurants.

They also come to drink wine. Elegant, Burgundian-inspired Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Quirkier Baco Noir and Marechal Foch. Trendy pét-nat, piquette and orange bottles. All these, and more, are now produced by roughly 40 small scale Prince Edward County wineries. Some are only a few years old and most have an experimental mindset.

After all, a pioneering spirit is what’s needed when you’re growing at the cusp of the viticultural world. In the County winters are so cold that vines must be buried below earth each autumn, just to survive.

A place to stay

It was only a matter of time until the region’s accommodation scene caught up with the winemaking. The opening of Wander the Resort in 2020 on the banks of scenic West Lake signalled new levels of sophistication. A step above the surrounding friendly mom-and-pop B&Bs and the funky renovated motels, this stay does glam to a global standard.

That’s not to say that Wander the Resort doesn’t feel local. In many ways, it’s as Canadian as resorts come. The 10 stand-alone cabins, each sleeping up to five, come with cosy wood burners and kitchens so you can self-cater.

In summer, there are marshmallow bonfires, canoe rides on the lake and family barbecues in view of a communal pool. In winter, under a blanket of snow, there are steams in barrel saunas and poaches in a hot tub.

What’s different about Wander, however, is that the typical Canadiana kitsch has been ditched. So there are no red plaid sofas, dull brown woods or stuffed deer heads here. Instead, expect Nordic-style sleek interiors, earthy handmade pottery from nearby Ye11ow Studio, rattan pendant lights and premium soy candles from County Candle Co.

The attention to detail doesn’t stop there. Your cabin’s deck has a personal bonfire, lit automatically each morning for you to enjoy alongside breakfast. Rooms come stocked with Polaroid cameras and film so you can capture your memories romantically, in analogue.

Service is personalised and discreet, with most communications carried out by text. Even check-in takes place in the comfort of your cabin via a few taps of your phone. The first (and, should you wish, only) interaction with a staff member will be when they turn up at your floor-to-ceiling glass door with a welcome glass of local fizz or beer.

Eat and drink local

Speaking of food and drink: Prince Edward County fare is, of course, championed. Staff can help stock cabins to bursting with wine from Closson Chase, locally sourced charcuterie boards and Cherry Bomb coffee, which is roasted down the road.

A new series of vinous dinners will bring the best of the region’s winemakers to the hotel for guided tastings. Most are located just a short drive away, if you want to visit.

There is much else in the pipeline. A new communal clubhouse area, opening this year, will host a bar, spa treatment rooms, film screenings, live music and cookery classes. Meditation, self-massage and yoga classes will form the basis of a complimentary wellness programme.

Finally a gift store lets you ‘shop your cabin’, so you can take home the fabulous own-brand smellies and other County goodies.

With so much to look forward to, the future of Wander the Resort is certainly looking bright. Much like that of Prince Edward County itself.

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Another year of zoom tastings and sampling wines in isolation doesn’t sound very inspiring on paper. Nevertheless, the capacity for wine to exhilarate transcends even the most prosaic circumstances. And, in all truth, I eventually braved the nightmare of travelling so that I could return to Italy.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Michaela Morris’ top 10 fine wines of 2021

My top picks for 2021 include a trio of Nebbiolo from northwestern Italy’s outstanding 2016 vintage. The Barolo couplet is a tip of the hat to two of the region’s leading producers – GB Burlotto and Bartolo Mascarello. Both wines have ties to Cannubi, a legendary site that lived up to its historic reputation in 2016.

The third Nebbiolo hails from Valtellina in Lombardy, a region overshadowed by its more famous brethren in Piedmont. Following an extensive tasting, I am more convinced than ever that this ‘mountain’ expression is equally compelling. Sandro Fay’s Carterìa Valtellina Superiore Riserva Valgella is a case in point.

Alongside Nebbiolo, I immersed myself in Barbera, traditionally regarded as Piedmont’s workhorse grape. Olim Bauda’s 2016 Nizza Riserva soared well beyond this typecast. The wine demonstrated the dignity of Barbera without losing its immense drinkability and food-friendly character or falling into the trap of over-ambitious oak ageing.

Brunello

Filing my annual Tuscan report in spring was a massive undertaking. It involved coordinating a shipment of 300 wines to Vancouver, only possible thanks to the help of Canadian importers. The reward was tasting one stunning 2016 Brunello after another, followed by the affable 2015 Riservas.

My top-scoring wine was Fuligni’s 2016, which evoked the essence of Montalcino with seamless elegance and powerful depth.

A smaller sampling than usual of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano was nonetheless particularly gratifying. At Tuscany’s anteprime tastings, this denomination has typically been hurriedly sandwiched between Chianti Classico and Brunello. I was pleased to be able to devote some time to this underrated DOCG. Boscarelli’s Costa Grande was a great success for the challenging 2017 vintage and a reminder that Vino Nobile merits attention.

Chianti

Finally, Chianti Classico’s new releases offered gems from all vintages and categories presented.

At the Gran Selezione level, Le Cinciole’s 2016 Aluigi was among the standouts. Previously labeled as a Riserva, this wine is emblematic of Gran Selezione’s new direction which sees greater focus on Sangiovese and will eventually allow labeling of Chianti Classico’s 11 UGA. I made a point of visiting Le Cinciole when I was able to travel to Chianti Classico later in the year and this wine was showing even better than when I first tried it.

While in the region, I enjoyed a bottle of Castell’in Villa’s 1982 Chianti Classico Riserva. Besides offering the perfect pairing for roasted pigeon, it was a tribute to the longevity of Chianti Classico and the tireless work of proprietress Princess Coralia Pignatelli della Leonessa.

France

Alain Graillot’s 2007 La Guiraude Crozes-Hermitage may seem like an interloper but thoroughly deserves a place on this list.

I found a lone bottle in my cellar and brought it to the first indoor dinner party in almost year. It showed brilliantly at this intimate meal with close friends who share my longstanding appreciation of Northern Rhône Syrah.

Canada & England

The long stretch in Canada finally afforded me the opportunity to judge our national wine awards competition with the team at Wine Align.

From across the country, the traditional-method sparkling wines shone, though the standout was from Ontario. It was my first time trying Queenston Mile’s wines and I was particularly taken by the richness, expression and raciness of their 2017 Brut Blanc De Noirs.

Apropos bubbles, I am celebrating the holidays with family in the UK. As I explore English sparkling wine, maybe I’ll find a contender for next year’s list.

Michaela’s top 10 fine wines of 2021:

See the highest-scoring Canadian Rieslings and the top Rieslings from British Columbia

Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula is Canada’s largest wine region. Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment flank the peninsula, meaning constant airflow between the two regulates temperatures. The mild autumns encourage Riesling to ripen slowly.

Scroll down for Michaela Morris’ top Eastern Canada Rieslings

While there is range of styles, Ontario Riesling is overridingly Germanic, with varying levels of residual sugar and moderate alcohol. The wines’ arresting prettiness, underlying power and clever interplay between mineral nuances and orchard fruit impressed. I also found some of the best value for money here.

Jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, Nova Scotia is truly cold climate. The Bay of Fundy’s massive tides, which extend the growing season into November, strongly influence the province’s Annapolis Valley.

Still, hybrids dominate, and Riesling occupies a mere 3% of the area under vine. The wines are lean and bracing with a piercing purity. I’d happily have a glass of all five wines I tried – particularly those from Avondale Sky, Grand Pré and Benjamin Bridge.

With wickedly cold winters falling to -30°C, Québec is the most unlikely wine region, and protecting vineyards from damage requires heroic efforts. Of the province’s 800 hectares, Riesling counts just 8ha; 90% are hybrid grape varieties.

This was my first tasting of Québec Riesling and I was pleasantly surprised by wines from Vignobles Ste-Pétronille and La Cantina. Their wines were packed with flavour – just like the province’s scrumptious apples.

Eastern Canada Riesling: Michaela Morris’ top wines to buy

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Canadian wine is little-known. Even those wineries that enjoy national acclaim are rarely celebrated beyond the country’s borders.

Habitual ‘winery of the year’ within Canada, Tawse Winery finally managed to break onto the international scene when the estate’s 2011 Chardonnay made the cover of Decanter in 2015. It was named among the world’s best Chardonnay outside Burgundy.

Scroll down for Michaela Morris’s tasting notes and scores on the latest releases from Tawse Winery

This was a coup for financier Moray Tawse. When he founded the winery in 2000, there were fewer than 60 producers in Ontario (compared to almost 200 today) and the average price for local wine was about C$12 per bottle [the equivalent to about £5 in 2000].

‘My goal was to make the best wine in Ontario,’ he says. Tawse entered the market boldly with wines retailing for C$40-$50 [about £17-£21 in 2000] – despite warnings from skeptical colleagues that no one would pay such prices for Ontario wine.

He proved them wrong and Tawse Winery’s success has helped boost both the quality and reputation of the region.

How did Tawse Winery expand?

Tawse began with a modest 3.7ha. The original Cherry Avenue vineyard boasted Chardonnay planted in 1981 and Riesling planted in 1976 – old by Canadian standards.

After the purchase, he learned that a minimum of 4ha was required to legally register as an estate winery.

He was able to convince the neighbouring grower to sell him an adjoining 0.3ha. But there was a catch. Tawse also had to buy another 20ha site that his neighbour was trying to offload.

‘My neighbour didn’t like it because it was all stony limestone and he couldn’t get any sizeable crop from it,’ recounts Tawse. But being a keen Burgundy aficionado, he made the connection between limestone and great Chardonnay.

‘He sold me the land like it wasn’t worth anything. Now it’s one of my best vineyards,’ states Tawse, referring to his Quarry Road plot.

Tawse continued to buy vineyards guided by a singular focus on quality and terroir. ‘It was pretty easy to buy good sites if I paid up a little bit,’ he says.

Tawse Winery now has five vineyards totalling 66ha, all of which are located on Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula. This is usually sufficient to supply the winery with enough grapes, but in short vintages he sources fruit from a handful of like-minded growers with choice plots.

Explain the philosophy at Tawse Winery?

Soon after acquiring his first vineyard, Tawse broke ground on a cutting-edge gravity-flow winery, complete with a geothermal energy system. It was completed in 2005, the same year former carpenter Paul Pender arrived for a winemaking internship.

Pender stayed on, replacing the outgoing winemaker the following year, and immediately started the conversion to organic viticulture. ‘We figured that all of the great vineyards in the world are farmed organically,’ Pender says.

Tawse Winery was also Demeter certified biodynamic for 10 years, though has recently withdrawn. Pender explains that this has allowed them the freedom to farm the vineyards in the best way they see fit, which still includes many biodynamic practices.

Pender calls the winemaking non-interventionist and the philosophy has remained consistent since the start. He seeks elegance, balance and sense of place.

‘We aren’t looking to make big extracted wines or oxidised, reductive or weird, funky wines,’ he explains. The mantra is fresh and clean, with an emphasis on single-vineyard bottlings. They are unpretentious yet confident and distinct in their identity.

What’s the connection with Burgundy?

The inspiration at Tawse Winery is unequivocally Burgundy. In fact, prior to establishing his winery, Moray Tawse was looking to do the impossible: buy vineyards in the Côte d’Or.

Being based in Toronto, he soon realised that investing closer to home was more feasible on many levels. He started exploring Ontario’s wine country and was particularly impressed by the soils on the Niagara benchland.

‘I believe Ontario has the best terroir for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay behind Burgundy,’ Tawse declares. ‘Burgundy has a lot of marl and schist in its soils – things we don’t have. But we do have a lot of limestone.’

To help him achieve his vision, Tawse hired French-Canadian turned Burgundy superstar Pascal Marchand.

Tawse met Marchand at Clos des Epeneaux while on a cycling trip through Burgundy in the 1980s. The two stayed in touch and, when Marchand left Jean-Claude Boisset in 2006, Tawse was among his first clients.

Marchand continued consulting at Tawse Winery until 2008 when he partnered with his friend to form Burgundy négociant house Marchand-Tawse.

Tawse eventually acquired the vineyards in Burgundy that he originally sought when he bought Domaine Maume in Gevrey-Chambertin in 2012.

Splitting his time between the two projects, Tawse has formed a solid bond with winemakers in Burgundy. ‘They really taught me how to understand their grape varieties.’

According to Tawse, Ontario Chardonnay can stand up to Burgundy but the province’s Pinot Noir is still too young. ‘Pinot vines have to be 30 years old before they really develop personality,’ he states. Much of the region’s plantings are less than 20 years old.

And beyond Burgundy?

Besides vineyard designates of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Tawse Winery also produces multiple site-specific Riesling and Cabernet Franc. Both varieties benefit from Niagara’s position on the southwest corner of Lake Ontario.

‘The close proximity to the lake has a moderating effect, allowing for a longer, slower development,’ explains Pender.

Cabernet Franc usually hangs well into November, ripening beautifully year in and year out. If Chardonnay put Tawse on the map, Cabernet Franc is the winery’s brilliant sequel and a testament to this grape’s potential in Ontario.

As for Riesling, this is where Tawse Winery plays its value card, putting out an impressive range of wines under C$25 (£14.50), including a traditional-method sparkling.

The purchase of the Limestone Vineyard in 2012 added 18ha of Riesling to Tawse’s arsenal, making it the winery’s largest production.

To manage his ever-growing collection of vineyards, Tawse has established a sister winery, Redstone.

Based in Niagara Peninsula’s sub-appellation of Lincoln Lakeshore, it focuses on red Bordeaux varieties and Syrah with the same winemaking philosophy. Tawse has also opened an 80-seat restaurant here – something else he has been able to cross off his bucket list.

Tawse assures me that he isn’t looking to expand further. But if the right terroir popped up, I have a feeling that he would find it difficult to resist.

Tawse Winery: the facts

Date founded 2000

Owner Moray Tawse (vice-president and co-founder of First National Financial Corporation)

Director of viticulture and winemaking Paul Pender

Annual production 25,000-30,000 cases/year

Area under vine 66ha, including Limestone Vineyard North (21.5ha), Quarry Road Vineyard (12ha) and Cherry Avenue Vineyard (8.5ha)

Key wines Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc

Tawse Winery: Michaela Morris tastes the latest releases

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Human beings love to simplify. All simplifications, though, are fallible; they sacrifice nuance on the altar of clarity. A recent visit to the vineyards of Canada’s Ontario, back in early October, made this point several times over.

Scroll down for a Andrew Jefford’s pick of Onatrio wines

Winemaking in Ontario is considered (for example) to take place in the extreme north, and to be a radical example of cool-climate viticulture. Given that the province produces 80 per cent of the world’s Icewine, that has to be true, right?

‘We’re not a northerly region,’ points out Angelo Pavan of Cave Spring. ‘We’re on the same latitude as Florence.’ (Actually a slightly lower latitude: Florence is 43.77˚N whereas Niagara Falls is 43.06˚N.)

‘And I don’t like the ‘cool-climate’ tag,’ he continues, ‘because we’re very warm in summer. That’s one reason why we’re the biggest wine region in North America east of the Rockies.’

Again, he’s right. The daily mean July temperature is 21.3˚C in Niagara, and in August 20.4˚C (according to www.climate-data.org). That’s hotter than Beaune, for example, whose equivalent figures from the same source are 19.7˚C and 19.2˚C. Not only that, but it’s warmer than Bordeaux, too (19.8˚C and 20˚C).

A better way of summarising Ontario would be to say that it’s a mid-latitude location with warm summers – but extreme continentality, hence its deep-freeze winters. The result of this is the ‘wild ride’ through spring and autumn which every Ontarian winegrower will tell you about. ‘Volatility in the shoulder seasons,’ says Stratus’s Suzanne Janke, ‘is our biggest challenge.’

In truth ‘wild’ is an adjective which can apply to almost any moment of the year in Ontario — but since that seems to be increasingly true of most vineyard zones, this may be the climate-change joker at play.

Ontario, for example, was unlucky enough to have to endure two periods of extraordinary cold during the successive winters of 2014 and 2015, when temperatures dropped to -30˚C or so (formerly considered a ‘once in a 100 year’ event).

‘In February 2015,’ recalled Pavan, ’93 per cent of the surfact of the Great Lakes froze. The only place it didn’t freeze was the western end of Lake Ontario. That’s why we’re still here.’

Indeed vineyards in the higher parts of Niagara, like the Chardonnay of Queylus up at the top of the Escarpment, were destroyed. This is the only global vineyard region I have ever visited where there are braziers at winery entrances and stacks of blankets in the tasting rooms.

In 2017, by contrast, it rained every three days between April and August, threatening a different sort of disaster. Then the weather changed; sunshine lit the vineyards until November, and the harvest was, in the end, a fine one. The 2016 season even flirted with drought. Ontario growers never know quite what’s coming – except that the changes brought by spring and autumn will be dramatic, stark and rapid, and that the seasons between can be extreme.

Another simplification whose neat outlines look, on closer inspection, at bit smudgy concerns what we might call the vocation of Ontario’s vineyards, together with its ideal varieties and its overall wine style.

Icewine aside, all resist easy summary. Ontario’s wines are not in any way forceful, bright, overt, ‘fruit-driven’, large-boned or generous. Not classically ‘New World’, in other words. (Such descriptions do, by contrast, sometimes fit the wines of British Columbia – wines with a clear North American stamp to them.)

‘We’re mid-Atlantic,’ says Ontario-based French winemaker Sébastien Jacquey of Meglomaniac, and with reason. Successful Ontario wines (there are still many failures) have a subtlety, an attractive quietness, a grain and a poise to them which makes them, like European wines, attractive food partners. They would make treacherous blind-tasting bottles for the MW exam.

Ontario’s genres and varieties, too, defy easy categorization We’re familiar with fanfares for English sparkling wines – but it can’t be long before the world wakes up to the potential of Ontario’s equivalents.

‘Give us another decade,’ says Marty Werner of Ravine Vineyard Estate, ‘and we will make some of the best traditional-method sparkling wine on the planet. I’m betting my eggs on it.’

Backing up his claim is the Platinum medal Ravine pocketed for its NV Brut in this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards. Nor was that Ontario’s only success in this class: Trius also unhooked a Platinum for its Rosé Brut. Production of sparkling wines in Ontario has tripled since my last visit almost five years ago.

Niagara did, though, manage something even better: a wine in top-tier ‘Best in Show’ category of this year’s DWWA, from the Beamsville Bench winery Thirty Bench – and it was based on the variety local insiders have been tipping over the last decade: Cabernet Franc. There aren’t many Cabernet Francs at this level yet, but the best really can front up to Bourgueil and Chinon.

When you taste the quality of Pinots and Chardonnays of wineries like Tawse, Hidden Bench, Pearl Morissette and Queylus, you begin to wonder why Burgundian families, so stymied back home for ways to expand and invest their new-found wealth, haven’t yet found their way to Ontario. White blends of Sauvignon and Semillon convince, too. And just when you think you’ve got the bases covered, a sniff and a sip of one of the great Rieslings from Cave Spring has you re-setting the cultural dial all over again.

This is all as it should be, given the youthfulness of Canada’s wine-making ambitions (only two percent of Ontario’s wines were made from vinifera varieties back in 1976). Wild weather permitting, we can look forward to more classification-challenging years ahead.

Andrew Jefford’s Ontario wines to try

Read all Andrew Jefford columns on Decanter.com

Perfect for a winter getaway, this scenic region within easy reach of Toronto offers friendly welcomes and impressive wines, says Julian Hitner...

For the quintessential Canadian wine experience, the annual Niagara Icewine Festival is in a league of its own. Held over three weeks every January, this most frigid of fêtes is the perfect starting point for exploring the Niagara Peninsula, currently one of the world’s hottest cool-climate regions.

• 24 hours in Niagara

Nestled between Lake Ontario to the north, Lake Erie to the south (the 228m Niagara Escarpment in between) and the bucolic yet commanding Niagara River to the east, the peninsula has for more than 20 years been celebrated for its icewine. The best versions are crafted from Riesling, with less expensive examples fashioned from the white hybrid Vidal Blanc. Indeed, there is nothing more Canadian than bundling up in one’s warmest garments, possibly for temperatures reaching as low as -20°C, and sipping these world-class dessert wines at the height of the snow season.

• Niagara: Restaurants, hotels and shops

Each weekend during the festival, the main street of Niagara-on-the-Lake – one of southern Ontario’s most quaintly picturesque 19th century towns – is transformed into a wondrous outdoor wine tasting. The frozen temperatures, snow drifts and occasional icy tumble onto the ground are integral parts of the experience. With plenty of hot drink stations and indoor cafés, delicious local foods and magnificent ice sculptures, there is something joyous about judiciously downing Niagara’s sweetest elixirs and braving the elements all at once.

• Wine festivals: Where to go in 2016

Beyond icewine

Yet in recent years, icewine has taken a back seat to the extraordinary progress that local producers have made with their dry reds, whites and sparkling wines. For many, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the region’s future, the finest garnering global attention – including at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

In general, the best examples come from the Niagara Escarpment, particularly Beamsville Bench and Twenty Mile Bench, a 35-minute drive from Niagara-on-the-Lake. An unhurried visit at Hidden Bench is a must – its owner Harald Thiel is ferociously committed to producing the greatest possible artisanal Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling (plus several fine Bordeaux blends). Less than 10km down the road is Tawse Winery, home to some of the greatest Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc (a minor specialty) in the region.

Most wineries in Niagara are eagerly, and graciously, open to visitors throughout the year, though tours should always be booked in advance. Tasting fees are usually waived if a bottle is purchased.

• Canada wine: 10 exciting discoveries

Not far away is Cave Spring Cellars, which offers many of its fine wines at the well-known Inn on the Twenty restaurant next door. However, for a uniquely Canadian experience, White Meadows Farms is only a 15km drive away. Here you can take a guided weekend tour of the sugar bush in February, March, July and August to discover how maple syrup is made – and of course taste all sorts of maple products, with or without pancakes.

Less than 3km to the north is Henry of Pelham, a pioneer winery and producer of Baco Noir, a red hybrid of fascinating chewiness and flavour. The estate’s vintage blanc de blancs and Riesling icewine are also excellent.

Like most other wine regions, local growers here are increasingly embracing organic and biodynamic viticulture. Presently, the only fully biodynamic winery is Southbrook, located on Niagara Stone Road off the Queen Elizabeth Way. While the Chardonnays show great sense of place, the Poetica red Bordeaux blend is a showstopper.

Year-round attractions

The annual International Cool-Climate Chardonnay Celebration has become a fixture in Niagara every July, with producers from all over the world descending on the peninsula for a weekend of events. Without question, Burgundian-type Chardonnay has made significant headway in the region over the past several years. With warmer and greener settings for outdoor dining, some may prefer this time of year to visit than January.

In large part, Niagara’s greatest wine estates are in private hands. Of these, ownerwinemaker Wesley David Lowrey of Five Rows Craft Wine is one of the most unassuming and quality-obsessive. He produces just five wines at the moment, all sourced from St David’s Bench (the warmest area in Niagara) and made in tiny quantities. Visits are by appointment only. The Riesling and Shiraz are inspirational.

• Lonely Planet’s five Niagara wineries to visit

For those wanting a detour from the wine route, many of Niagara’s most charming historical sites are based in and around Niagara-on-the-Lake, stretching along the Niagara River, one of the loveliest driving routes in the region.

Of particular interest is the brilliantly preserved Fort George, which served as the British Army’s headquarters during the War of 1812. During this period, Laura Secord, Canada’s most famous heroine, travelled a perilous 32km to warn the British of a surprise American attack. A visit to her homestead near Queenston Heights Park is a great way of celebrating her courage, before heading to Niagara Falls – beautifully covered in icicles in January – just a 15-minute drive away, then warming up over a late dinner at one of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s many fine restaurants.

When visiting the Niagara Peninsula, wine lovers will find two things in common. The first is astonishment at the quality on offer – sweet, dry and sparkling. The other is an extremely friendly welcome from whoever is pouring the wines. Despite the freezing conditions if journeying in winter, there is no better way of appreciating Niagara’s warmth and new winegrowing status.

Julian Hitner is a Toronto-based wine historian, critic and consultant

From winery tours and tastings to fine dining, Julian Hitner plans out the ideal day in Niagara...

24 hours in Niagara

• Decanter travel guide: Niagara, Canada
• Niagara: Restaurants, hotels and shops

Morning

At the intimate Harbour House hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake, one of Ontario’s prettiest little towns, wake up to a luxurious breakfast of freshly made scones, seasonal egg dishes and excellent cappuccino. After a stroll around nearby Paradise Grove Park, head to Hidden Bench. With luck, owner Harald Thiel will be on hand to pour his wines, which are arguably among the finest in Niagara, if not all of Ontario. Next door is Thirty Bench, highly regarded for its single-vineyard Rieslings and icewine. Views throughout these pastoral parts of the Niagara Escarpment are superb, especially around Pinot Noir producer Flat Rock Cellars.

• Canada wine: 10 exciting discoveries

Afternoon

For formal lunching, Inn on the Twenty is outstanding, while next door is a wonderful Inuit arts shop. Alternatively, a visit to White Meadows Farms provides a definitive Canadian experience. However, a 30km detour to Kitchen 76 Restaurant at Two Sisters Vineyards for its exquisite casual fare near the Niagara River is well worth the journey. Though only open for lunch on weekends, biodynamic producer Southbrook is also ideal, and gives a chance to try its incredibly unique Chardonnays.

Evening and overnight

After an afternoon appointment at Five Rows Craft Wine and an addictive slice of pie and a hot drink at The Pie Plate Bakery and Café nearby, a leisurely stroll around Niagara-on-the-Lake (possibly including a stop at Fort George) is always a winner. Or for a bit of culture, buy tickets to a play at the renowned Shaw Festival held every spring through to autumn. For a memorable dinner, Treadwell Cuisine at 124 on Queen Hotel and Spa is one of the most luxurious institutions on the peninsula. Between all this, a visit to Niagara Falls, plus the icewine festival if travelling in January, is a must – cosy garments and all.

• Wine festivals: Where to go in 2016

Plan your trip to Niagara with Julian Hitner's guide to the best restaurants, hotels and shops...

Niagara: Restaurants, hotels and shops

Niagara hotels

Harbour House, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Just two blocks from the Niagara River, this is an opulent yet idyllic hotel. The Conservatory’s breakfast is unrivalled, boasting the finest local produce. Small wine tastings are held every afternoon.

• Decanter travel guide: Niagara, Canada

Hilton Garden Inn, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Located right off the main highway, a comfortable and reliable address for the budget-minded. Ideal for travellers with children.

• 24 hours in Niagara

Inn on the Twenty, Jordan

Not far from some of the finest estates on the Niagara Escarpment, with a great restaurant and an enviable reputation, it’s a good alternative base to Niagaraon- the-Lake. Next door is Cave Spring Cellars, one of the older wineries on the peninsula; the fizz and top dry whites are superb.

Prince of Wales, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Marvellous Victorian-era hotel located in the heart of Niagara-on-the-Lake. A favourite spot for traditional afternoon tea.

• Lonely Planet’s five Niagara wineries to visit

Niagara restaurants

Il Gelato di Carlotta, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Wondrous cakes, pastries and ice cream. No visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake would be complete without a visit to this phenomenal dessert emporium.

Kitchen 76 at Two Sisters Vineyards, Niagara-on-the- Lake

Top-notch destination for lunch, offering locally grown produce in delightful surroundings. Reservations are advisable, particularly during summer.

Peller Estates Winery Restaurant, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Elegant dining establishment near the Niagara River. The sparkling wines contain just a dollop of icewine; try with chicken liver parfait. An ideal place for lunch or dinner, though reservations for the latter are advisable.

The Pie Plate Bakery and Café, Virgil

Near Niagara-on-the-Lake, this little eatery uses only locally grown fruits, preparing all pies from scratch. Homemade preserves and other treats are also for sale. The perfect afternoon stop.

Treadwell Farm to Table, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Upscale casual dining, featuring seasonal, regional ingredients. An institution since opening in 2006. Reservations are highly recommended.

White Meadows Farms, Pelham

The best flapjacks and maple syrup in the region, great for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. A true Canadian experience, with plenty of maple syrup bottles and other goods to bring back home. Held every weekend in February and March, the winter Sugar Bush Adventure is a great tour for learning all about maple syrup harvesting.

Niagara shops

Greaves Jams & Marmalades, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Exceptional producer and purveyor of jams and marmalades, all of which are made using exclusively local produce, thanks to one of the most hospitable fruit-growing climates in the country.

Ninavik Native Arts, Jordan

Splendid Inuit arts museum and shop, offering a beautiful array of crafts from one Canada’s most identifiable and artistically inclined First Nations peoples.

Shaw Festival Theatre Shop, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Open all year round, this boutique offers a lovely array of gift items, from locally crafted creations to beautifully designed books and scripts. Aside from wine, the Shaw Festival is one of Niagara’s signature attractions, though no performances are held during the winter months.

Experience the Niagara region’s constantly improving wines and cheery, vacation-style lakeside atmosphere along well-orchestrated rural wine trails - from Lonely Planet's new book Wine Trails.

A young and exciting wine region, and Canada’s largest, Niagara sits on the southern shores of Lake Ontario, two hours south of Toronto, and is home to more than just ice wine. The Niagara Escarpment, a long ridge formed by ancient erosion, is responsible not only for the mesmerising waterfall, but also for a singular terroir with a diversity of soil types. Add that to a latitude of 43°N (equivalent to Avignon in the Rhône) and big shifts between day and night temperatures, and there is a potential here for a panoply of different grapes, despite the fairly level vineyard lands. Unlike other youthful wine zones around the world, there’s little pressure to wed Niagara’s identity to any single one. Still whites, reds, even sparkling wines are made in Niagara with equal success, at wineries of varying size and scope.

• Five Niagara wineries to visit

It’s hard to overstate the growth rate: by 1974 – long after Niagara’s hybrid-grape-fuelled heyday at the turn of the 19th century – only six wineries remained in the Niagara region. Today, nearly 100 wineries are located here, working with over 32 different varietals, mostly vinifera. The feeling on the ground is like that of starting over. As a visitor, it’s easy to be infected with that same giddy sense that anything is possible, especially after experiencing the hospitality of Niagara’s many historic villages and its beautiful lakefront views.

• Look out for the Decanter travel guide to Niagara in the February 2016 issue. Subscribe to Decanter here.

Of course, long before a modern wine scene took root, Niagara was an international tourist mecca, thanks to the enduring attraction of the nearby falls, a cluster of Canada’s prettiest towns and a bevy of natural hikes and getaways. A strong hospitality network has thrived here for decades, and the rapid growth of ‘wine tourism’ in Niagara is built on it. A warm and professional welcome awaits every guest, not only at the tasting rooms and vineyards, but also in the numerous cafes, bakeries, restaurants and shops.

• TASTING: Canadian wines – 10 exciting discoveries

Along with Prince Edward County, it will be exciting to see what the future will bring for this rising region.

Get there

Buffalo-Niagara is the nearest major airport, 61km from Inniskillin. Car hire is available.

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Niagara travel guide: Where to stay

Inn on the Twenty

This fairly luxe ‘hospitality wing’ of Cave Spring Vineyards – the tasting room of which is across the street – offers nearly every amenity, including a spa, and a restaurant with long experience of pairing Ontario wines with local food (the dinner menu includes recommended pairings – from Cave Springs, of course). The wine list also showcases a respectable selection of Niagara wines from other producers.

www.innonthetwenty.com; tel +1 905-562-5336; 3845 Main St, Jordan Station

Prince of Wales

On a cool pedestrian-friendly street in the heart of one of the area’s most charming cities, this historic landmark, fully restored in 1999, has been a hotel since 1864. Its proper Victorian exterior fronts tree-lined Simcoe Park, is down the street from the famed Shaw Festival, and is three blocks from the Niagara River.

www.vintage-hotels.com/princeofwales; tel +1 905-468-3246; 6 Picton St, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Niagara travel guide: Where to eat

Ravine Vineyard Restaurant

In addition to the winery, the folks at Ravine also run a terrific, award-winning farm-to-table restaurant, where they bake their own bread, raise their own pigs and serve their own organic produce. Yhe menus are seasonal.

www.ravinevineyard.com/restaurant; tel +1 905-262-8463; 1366 York Rd, St Davids; lunch 11am- 3pm, dinner 5-9pm

Vineland Estates Winery Restaurant

A couple of blocks south of Tawse Winery, this is a classy lunch destination. The restaurant is housed in a beautiful 19th-century farmhouse, above a wine cellar where vintages go back to 1983, and features classic Euro-Canadian dishes made with local ingredients.

www.vineland.com;tel +1 888-846-3526; 3620 Moyer Rd, Vineland

Niagara travel guide: What to do

The Shaw Festival Theatre

This is one of the largest theatre festivals in North America, with year-round performances of Bernard Shaw classics scheduled alongside current plays.

www.shawfest.com; tel +1 905-468-2172; 10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Lakeside Park Beach

This popular lakefront destination on the north side of St Catharines is central to summer attractions, including Fishing Adventures and a Harbour Trail.

Celebrations

The last three weekends of January, the sprawling Niagara Icewine Festival celebrates Ontario’s proudest product in multiple locations throughout the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. At the New Vintage Festival in St Catharines, during the middle of June, visitors can taste fresh bottlings from nearly 30 regional wineries. www.ravinevineyard.com/

Reproduced with permission from Wine Trails, 1st edn. © 2015 Lonely Planet.

See five Niagara wineries to visit, picked by Lonely Planet in their new book Wine Trails.

Five Niagara wineries to visit

• Wine Trails: Niagara travel guide
• For flights to Toronto – Sky Scanner
• For hotels in Toronto – Mr and Mrs Smith

01 INNISKILLIN WINES

Inniskillin is a foundational estate for modern Niagara; when it received its winery licence in 1975, it was the first to have done so in decades, and it helped kick off the new growth we’re witnessing today. Inniskillin was central in helping identify Niagara with sweet ice wine – and is still most famous for its ice wines of Riesling, Vidal and Cabernet Franc. However, it produces a very wide range of still wines, white and red, in multiple tiers of quality. It is obviously a larger producer with multiple interests, but a visit and tasting here is essential to understanding Niagara’s past and present. Located just a few minutes off the Niagara River, up Line 3 Rd, enter the estate’s stately white gates for a warm welcome; the grounds include a wine bar and a casual seasonal grill.

www.inniskillin.com; tel +1 905-468-2187; 1499 Line 3 Niagara Pkwy, Niagara-on-the-Lake; 10am-6pm summer, to 5pm winter

• Look out for the Decanter travel guide to Niagara in the February 2016 issue. Subscribe to Decanter here.

02 FROGPOND FARM

Opened in 2001, Frogpond Farm is proud of being ‘Ontario’s first organically certified winery’; since 2006, the facilities have been fully powered by ‘green’ electricity derived from wind and water. As such, it represents one of the many viable directions for the future of Niagara winemaking. Currently, its wines are fairly evenly divided between white and red, including two hybrid wines, from Vidal and Chambourcin. The dry, Alsatian-style Rieslings are of special note.

www.frogpondfarm.ca; tel +1 905-468-1079; 1385 Larkin Rd, Niagaraon-the-Lake; 11am-6pm summer, to 5pm winter

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03 RAVINE VINEYARD ESTATE WINERY

Just a few blocks south of Frogpond Farm, this is a new estate (2008) located on an old farm (1867). Fifth-generation owner Norma Jane Harber and her husband Blair work with winemaker Martin Warner to produce a fairly wide range of well-known international varietals – Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The Cabernet Franc, however, is probably their finest wine – and one of Ontario’s best – thanks to the warmth of their sites. Make sure to taste their two bottlings in the cask room.

Here, you can participate in a range of themed visits, suited to your interests, such as a Historical Tour or a Winemaking Tour, or a private tasting. There is also an excellent farm-to-table restaurant, which might be the real star of the whole project.

www.ravinevineyard.com; tel +1 905-262-8463; 1366 York Rd, St Davids; themed tours multiple times daily

04 PEARL MORISSETTE

Partner Mel Pearl and winemaker François Morissette represent one of the few, and finest, estates to ask ‘which grape varietal expresses the best wine for Niagara?’ and act on it. To discover the answer, they’ve spared little effort or expense. Burgundy-trained François works with over 12 hectares (30 acres) of Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling from two separate vineyards (and appellations) of variable age. The cellar is one of the coolest in Canada: filled with a host of different ageing vessels, it speaks of a restless search for the finest wine. Pearl Morissette’s high quality, however, is mostly due to the vines’ impeccable management – if you visit between spring and autumn, ask for a vineyard tour – and don’t forget to ask about the swimming pool. Pearl Morissette is located just east of Tawse Vineyard, up Highway 81.

www.pearlmorissette.com; tel +1 905-562-4376; 3953 Jordan Rd, Jordan; Sat & Sun by appointment

05 TAWSE WINERY

Tawse is one of Niagara’s most recognised estates (garnering multiple awards), and one of the largest. Ten varietals are planted in six vineyards over a whopping 80 hectares (200 acres), and are bottled in a wide stylistic range: sparkling, white, rosé, red and dessert. The vineyard practices include a combination of organic and biodynamic methods. The property itself is both grandiose and intimate: a wide driveway leads past manicured lawns, a smart fountain and tree-lined meadows to an impeccably equipped tasting room with a wrap-around bar (where it’s easy to mingle with other travellers), and a Euro-style barrel cellar. While here, don’t forget to check out the aromatic, tropical Quarry Road Gewürztraminer and the plush Estate Gamay Noir.

www.tawsewinery.ca; tel +1 905-562-9500; 3955 Cherry Ave, Vineland; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun

Reproduced with permission from Wine Trails, 1st edn. © 2015 Lonely Planet.

Freezing temperatures across Ontario have damaged vines in the Canadian province's vineyards, with some producers reporting bud loss of around 90%.

Producers in two of Ontario’s three wine appellations are already facing a smaller 2014 harvest after reporting severe bud loss in the past few weeks.

‘Our winery has 95 to 98% bud loss, so we won’t be getting grapes this year,’ says Tom O’Brien, owner of Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards in Lake Erie North Shore.

That appellation shows the most damage, with an average bud loss of 86 to 90% across all varieties, according to Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI).

Meanwhile, average bud loss in Niagara Peninsula ranges from 34% for Pinot Noir to 66% for Syrah, according to CCOVI with Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Franc faring better than Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot.

The full extent of the damage from this recent cold weather is not yet known, and pruning strategies can be adjusted to mitigate some bud losses.

In Ontario’s Prince Edward County appellation, most vines are buried until spring to protect them from harsh winters.

Sally Peck, owner of Sugarbush Vineyards there, said, ‘More than 90 per cent bud loss would occur this year if vines weren’t buried.’

Ron Giesbrecht, professor for wine and viticulture at Niagara College, told Decanter.com, ‘Bud counts aren’t the only measure of damage. Trunk damage from severe cold can also reduce crops in the current and subsequent vintage. So it’s too soon to know the extent of the damage.’

It is hoped that a bumper crop in 2013 can offset expected shortfalls in 2014.

Written by Carolyn Evans Hammond

Canadian province Ontario is leading the move toward lightweight bottling by setting a maximum weight on the wines it approves.

The state-controlled Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) has said it will not stock any wines packaged in a bottle weighing more than 420g from 1 January 2013.

In a letter seen by Decanter, Bob Downey, sales and marketing senior vice president for LCBO, says: ‘The maximum glass weight will be 420 grams for wines packaged in non-hock 750 ml bottles at or below a retail price of CAN$15.’

Champagne bottles and wines selling at more than CAN$15 will not have to comply with the new regulations but the LCBO admits any suppliers offering lighter weight bottles at premium price points will have an advantage over competitors.

‘For all wines with retail prices CAN$15 or over, we would still encourage suppliers to reduce weight of bottles. Given the environmental impact associated with producing, shipping and recycling glass, we’d ideally like to see all of our containers come down in weight.

‘While we do not anticipate the development of a standard maximum weight for CAN$15 or over wines at this time, favourable consideration will be given to product offers that are lower in weight,’ Downey adds.

Written by Rebecca Gibb