We're fond of saying Ontario Wines have as much character as the people who make them. But some of the wine's character also comes from the unique environment of the wine region itself.

The taste and quality of wine are determined by three key factors: the location and climate; the weather; and the soil.

Location. Location. Location.

Wine-producing grapes only grow in two geographical belts around the globe – one just north of the equator, and one a little bit south of it. These are the only areas with the right mixture of sun, rain, and temperature.

Ontario's wine regions are right in the middle of the northern grape-growing belt – between 41° and 44° north. You may find it hard to believe, but that puts southern Ontario just south of the famous Bordeaux Region in France, and parallel with northern California wine regions.

How's the weather up there?

To grow the perfect grape you need a long, warm summer and a dry, sunny autumn. The grapes need to ripen slowly so they can develop a good balance between acids and sugars. A well-ripened grape produces wines with a nice mixture of sweetness and acidity.

Ontario is considered a "cool climate region" – which means at harvest time grapes are blessed with more concentrated flavours and balanced acidity which makes them wonderfully food friendly. That's why cooler climate wines typically have a livelier flavour than those from hotter climates.

The Ontario Wine Region also has a unique mesooclimate that protects and nurtures our vines throughout the coldest winters – it's called the "lake effect". Basically, Lakes Erie and Ontario act as "hot water bottles" moderating the climate by storing up heat during the summer months and releasing it in the winter to warm up the air temperature over the vineyards. This means our precious vines are protected from frosts in the spring and benefit from an extended growing season in the fall.

Buried Treasure

Soils have a major influence on the quality of the grapes, and different grape varieties do better in specific types of soils. Ontario's Viticultural Areas (growing regions) have four different basic soils: glacial till (mix of clay, silt, sand, gravel, and large stone); clay loam; sandy loam; and silty clay, depending on the specific location of each viticultural area. For example, sandy loam is found near the Lake Ontario shore, while silty clay is found on the escarpment bench areas.