About Ontario Wine Country

Inside Eastern Canada's Wine Region:

• North Erie, North Shore and Pelee Island

   

• Niagara Escarpment and Twenty Valley

• Prince Edward County

• Ice Wine Tasting

Travel through Ontario would not be complete unless you travel through Ontario wine country. Unlike most wines through places like Greece (which, don't get me wrong are wonderful in their own rights), Ontario wine has characteristics, flavours and styles all their own and they are well worth checking out. There are a few things which make these wines stand out in a crowd, but before we look at that, we should find out where wine country, Ontario is! Even if you don't care for wine, a visit through these areas is a breathtaking wonder with plenty to see and do.

Ontario Wine Country

Places to go to:

The 'wine country' is an area of southern Ontario which covers 84 wineries in five regions:

• North Erie, North Shore and Pelee Island

• Niagara-on-the-lake

• Niagara Escarpment and Twenty Valley

• Prince Edward County

And other miscellaneous regions which are usually just lumped into Other regions; however, only the first four grown grapes which can be used for recognized VQA wines. (Vitners Quality Alliance)

Ontario wineries are largely clustered around Lake Erie and the headwaters of the Niagara Falls, but there are plenty of wineries stretching across southern Ontario with plenty of other tourist sites as well. The region is noted not only for delectable wines, but also things like beautiful scenery, tourist sites, and bed and breakfasts. The climate tends to be warm without being hot and autumn is crisp which not only makes for great climates for grape growing, but also for visiting any time of the year.

Image Source: http://quentinsadler.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/canadian-wine-ontarios-niagara-peninsula/

Wines of Ontario

The wineries of Ontario produce all three major kinds of wine: red, white and ice.

Ontario is one of the few places where you can find the right growing conditions and the right wineries to make ice wine; a delicate desert wine that is very sweet and concentrated.

However, most of Ontario wines are unique in the wine community. This is because Ontario grows cool-climate wine grapes. Cool-climate wines are wines that are made with larger grapes that have been given the chance to sit on the vine a little longer than their warm-climate counterparts. Cool climate grapes ripen more slowly and so the flavours of them develop more slowly and the wine gains a fuller and more complex flavour, often with mineral tones. Ontario wines are ideal to have with many different foods because the flavour of the wine accents many kinds of food.

If you are traveling through Ontario, it is well worth your time to check out the Ontario wine country. Not only will have access to delectable wines of all different varieties, but there are also a range of B&Bs to visit, tourist attractions, hiking, cycling, walking, winery tours, and beautiful drives. A trip to Ontario is not complete with a stroll through any of the beautiful wine regions.