Region Of The Week: Ontario
Even though Ontario has been growing grapes for over 200 years, it wasn’t until 1975 when the first winery license was issued that modern day wines in Ontario began. Spanning across roughly 6,800 hectares, Ontario has three appellations: Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore, and Prince Edward County. Ontario’s proximity to the Great Lakes provides them with nutrient-rich soils ideal for viniculture. While they are best known for their ice wines made from Vidal or Riesling, they also have some fantastic dry wines made from Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and Baco Noir.
Henry Of Pelham
Henry of Pelham is named after the founder and great-grand-patriarch of the Smith family, who grew Concord and Niagara grapes — some of the first to be planted in Canada. Generations later, in 1984, the Niagara wine scene hardly existed. There were a lot of naysayers back then — Niagara summers are warm and autumn is cool, followed by a quick shift into the winter cold. But the pioneering spirit of the family drove them to start premium wines using Old World vinifera grapes and a forward-thinking eye toward environmental stewardship.
