By Joseph Temple

Ontario, Canada’s most populous province can trace its winemaking roots back more than two hundred years – a history older than the country itself.  And after many trials and tribulations, its wines now compete with the best of Europe and the Americas, winning numerous international awards.

Below are ten interesting facts about the province’s wine industry and how it came to be.  Special thanks to Library and Archives Canada for providing many of the photographs and Tony Aspler’s talk at the Empire Club of Canada for much of the information in this posting.

1. An unusual beginning

When most people think of Ontario wine, they usually associate it with the Niagara Peninsula, Canada’s largest viticultural area.  So it might come as a surprise that the province’s fist vineyard was further up the Golden Horseshoe in Cooksville – what is now Mississauga, a suburb just west of Toronto.

Johann Schiller, a German corporal awarded land hear for his military service, is considered by many to be the father of Canadian wine.  Harvesting labrusca grapes near the Credit River, Schiller created the province’s first vineyard in 1811 by selling wine to his thirsty neighbors in Upper Canada.

2. Praise at the fair

Count Justin de Courtenay, a Frenchman from Lower Canada who purchased Schiller’s property had high hopes of making Ontario wine internationally renown.  The year was 1867 – the year of Canada’s birth and across the ocean, the World’s Fair was taking place in Paris, France.  So what better time and place to showcase Ontario wine for the entire world? Sending several bottles to Paris for a tasting, the lackluster wine was surprisingly well received at the fair, with some comparing it to Beaujolais.

3. Everybody wants an island

In a nation known as “the Siberia of the British Empire,” finding an area with a suitable climate to make wine can be difficult.  So if you’re looking at a map of Ontario, what better place than the country’s southernmost point to start a vineyard?

Pelee Island – located northwest of Cleveland, Ohio on the Canadian side of Lake Erie–proved to be the ideal spot in 1866 when three Kentucky farmers started the Vin Villa Winery.  Being on the same geographical parallel as Northern California and benefiting from the lake’s cooling effect, Pelee, along with Lake Erie North Shore continues to be one of the province’s most important wine growing regions.

4. Prohibition makes Ontario a province of wine drinkers

Whereas the Volstead Act applied to every state in the union, Canada’s Prohibition laws differed on a province-by-province basis (except briefly as part of the War Measures Act). While Quebec opted out early in 1919, Prince Edward Island defied the wets until 1948 – almost twenty years after the rest of Canada ended the “noble experiment.”

And in Ontario, the political clout of its farmers resulted in wine being exempt from any restrictive legislation.  So with liquor and beer relegated to the underworld, the province’s wine industry thrived like never before, going from over 200,000 gallons of domestic consumption in 1921 to 2.2 million gallons a decade later.

5. Quality? Two words: Baby Duck

Before the Vintners Quality Alliance, when North American labrusca varieties reigned supreme across the province, Ontario wine had a reputation for being the choice of ‘winos looking to come alive for a dollar five.’  With alcohol rates in excess of 20%, native Concord and Niagara grapes offered the perfect taste to those looking for little more than a cheap buzz.  According to wine writer Tony Aspler, Ontario became known for producing “block and tackle wines.”  “You drank a bottle, walked a block and you could tackle anyone,” said Aspler.

By Graham (Flickr: Wine Country) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

6. Creating a dynasty

If Ontario wine were a hockey team, then the mid 1970s was their rebuilding period.  It all started in 1975 when Inniskillin was granted a license by the province to create an estate winery – the first since prohibition.  Moving away from the high-alcohol port and sherry style wines, this new breed of vintners turned the corner by growing vinifera vines that could hopefully compete with Europe.  The result was that by 1986, these vines had increased by 500 percent across the province.

7. Free trade forces Ontario vineyards to change for the better

Under the government of Brian Mulroney, trade barriers came crashing down as Canada signed both the FTA with the United States (later NAFTA) and GATT.  So with tariffs being phased out, Ontario’s winemakers were no longer sheltered by protectionist policies and forced to compete with the wines of Europe and America on a more level playing field.  Softening the blow, the Canadian government invested $100 million dollars to replace undesirable labrusca grapes with vitis vinifera varieties more popular with consumers.  And to ensure quality standards, a new organization – the Vinters Quality Alliance (VQA) – was established in 1988 to regulate the industry and to certify that growing and production methods were up to par with the other wine regions of the world.

By Dominic Rivard from Bangkok, Thailand (icewine grapes3) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

8. Ontario wine goes mainstream

In what can be described as Canada’s “Bottle Shock” moment, Inniskillin’s 1989 Vidal ice wine wins the prestigious Grand Prix d’Honneur at the 1991 Vinexpo in Bordeaux, France.  After more than a decade of trial and error, Ontario’s ice wine industry is thrust onto the world stage with this upset over the dominant German Eiswein.  More than twenty years later, ice wine exports reach over 200,000 liters per year and is valued at $15.5 million annually.

9. The east wants in!

Roughly a two-hour drive from Toronto, the picturesque island known as Prince Edward County has come a long way since being labeled the “Canning Capital of Canada.”  Beginning in the 1990s, the wineries there have grown by leaps and bounds with PEC being certified a Designated Viticultural Area in 2007.

As you cross over the Bay of Quinte into this scenic eastern Ontario getaway, you’ll understand why so many make the pilgrimage each year to taste their wines.  With a relatively mild climate thanks to Lake Ontario, the thirty wineries on the island have flourished, growing a variety of grapes that include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc, to name just a few.

By Richard Wayne Photography (Flickr) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
By tonyshek (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Kris Krüg [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

10. Celebs get in on a piece of the action

Today, it seems as if every actor, musician and professional athlete has their own winery–’Brangelina’, Dave Matthews, Arnold Palmer and NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon just to name a few.  But what about Ontario?

Looking at the list of celebrities who own wineries, the province clearly has not been left out in terms of star power.  Ghostbusters star Dan Aykroyd, 2003 Masters winner Mike Weir and “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky have all put their names on Ontario’s flourishing wine industry.

At the International Wine & Food Society, we have a solid presence across the province, with branches in Toronto, Oakville, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Niagara.  Perhaps these locals can tell you which Ontario wine(s) they would recommend?

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Question: I’m hosting a barbecue over this holiday weekend including lots of hamburgers and hot dogs. What wine should I serve?

Answer: Very topical question generated by the celebrations for the July 1 Canada Day & July 4 Independence Day holidays! A little bit of a semantics issue on the use of the word “barbecue” because many people think this means simply to use a barbecue sauce while others use it in a wider connotation to include all grilling. Further complicated by so many of us now using propane gas rather than the traditional wood or charcoal. The flavours on your food – including hamburgers and hotdogs – will be quite different depending on these choices as will your preferred wine selections. Difficult to make a single recommended wine choice. The usual cop out answer of the wine and budget you like best works well for a barbecue. However, spicy California Zinfandel, Australian Shiraz, Argentina Malbec, Chilean Carmenere, Italian Negroamaro and others in that style should work well as your foods should have some rich, smoky, chargrilled sweet spicy caramelized flavours. Don’t forget that a wider selection could include Sparkling (aperitif – maybe with a syrah dosage for colour and sweetness), Rose (versatile – dry and sweet styles – for pulled pork), Sauvignon or Fume Blanc (vegetables like asparagus & tomatoes – other veg like peppers, onion, eggplant, zucchini can be enhanced with Rioja), New World Chardonnay (Chicken), Unoaked crisper Chardonnay or Chablis (Seafood), Languedoc-Roussillon (Mediterranean herbs), Syrah, Cab or Merlot (charred meats). I generally avoid pinot noir and Piedmont as being too delicate and subtle for the bold assertive barbecue foods. My wife Joan and I are judging on July 12 the Similkameen British Columbia 2014 BBQ King or Queen competition but they will be serving a very wide selection of BC Okanagan grape varieties and blends to serve with this barbecue.

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In full disclosure I am not a big sugar fan – except for my daily addiction to dark chocolate! Never have liked soft drinks. Also hesitant to get involved in any controversy over “toxic refined white sugar” and “high fructose corn syrup”. However you have to admire honey bees as a key component in world agriculture pollination regardless of your thoughts on honey. Still there is increasing popularity for the use of honey as a natural sweetener. There are many types to discover from light mild to dark strong with unique flavours influenced by the local flowers – clover, buckwheat, alfalfa… I have fond memories of the old days trying to locate some tupelo honey after admiring Irish singer Van Morrison’s song of the same name – “she’s as sweet as tupelo honey”. Some comparisons could possibly be made to wine with the different complex “terroir” contributing to both products. Less processed raw honey is in increasing demand as is unpasteurized and unfiltered – rather than simpler commercial ones. The National Honey Board in the USA has volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings promoting honey for an energy boost during physical activity. We all have used lemon and honey in a hot drink to soothe a sore throat. Recently watched Dr. Oz on his TV show endorsing honey supported by 4 key points: immune boosting antioxidant (may even help with allergies over long term use but not yet scientifically substantiated); cough suppressant; heals wounds (especially New Zealand native manuka bush honey); and may help your blood sugar & high cholesterol. Regardless of all these health claims I still find I am using honey more (and sugar less) – especially at breakfast trying out different exotic interesting honey in my no fat Greek yogurt! My wife Joan really enjoys from the Okanagan wine region in British Columbia her pure unpasteurized wildbrush/wildflowers creamed honey on her morning toast. What about you? Lots of choices out there so what is your favourite go to honey?

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By Joseph Temple

After inviting friends and family over for a special occasion, no task can be more daunting than having to clean all of your dishes, especially glassware.  Whether it’s tumblers, beer mugs or your best crystal, each style seems to have its own set of rules – especially when it comes to wine glasses.  Some are dishwasher safe and some are not. Many have narrow necks, making them a challenge to keep spotless and residue-free.  And if you decant your wine, cleaning the odd-shaped vessel is a formidable task all by itself.

But if you follow these ten helpful tips, you can keep your glasses and decanters sparkling and odor-free for all future dinner parties:

FOR DISHWASHERS:

1.  If the wine glasses you use are dishwasher safe, clean them separately from all plates, knives, forks, spoons and any other tableware.  With their own wash, you’ll prevent tiny food particles from sticking to the glass.  And set it to the shortest possible cycle without adding detergent.  The use of cleansers will leave both residue and a small odor impacting the wine’s taste over time.

2.  Place the bowl of the glass upside down so that it doesn’t collect any water during the rinse cycle.  Once completed, open the door of the dishwasher to let out all of the humidity, which can tarnish your glasses over time.

3.  Dry each glass with a lint-free linen cloth.  Letting them drip-dry will smear it with water spots.

FOR WASHING BY HAND:

4.  First, fill your sink with warm water and apply soap to a lint-free cloth to wash.  Rinse each glass under lukewarm water and smell the bowl after to make sure all the detergent has been removed.

5.  If you want to take it one step further and make your glasses shine like they’re in a TV commercial, try steaming them by placing the glass over a pot of boiling water before drying.

6.  When drying a wine glass, never hold it by the stem.  Doing so cannot only break the glass but also severely cut your hand.  Instead, hold it by the bowl and use a wooden spoon wrapped in a linen cloth to clean the bottom as needed.  Forcing the cloth to the bottom by hand can break the glass as well.

FOR DECANTERS:

7.  After rinsing it out with warm water, wrap a damp linen cloth around a nylon rope and feed it inside the decanter to clean out the bottom.  For drying, make sure the cloth you use is also arid.

8.  To remove those stubborn stains, place copper balls or lead shots into the decanter and shake them around.

PROPER STORAGE:

9.  Avoid storing your wine glasses in cardboard boxes or inside closed cupboards.  Glasses can absorb all sorts of smells that alters the taste of the wine so keep them upright and on an open shelf or rack so air can circulate around them.

10.  If you think your glasses have picked up any odors, either rinse them in cold water or pass them through the air quickly several times.

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Question: What is a “long finish”?

Answer: Easy. A long finish is just what it says – lingering flavours of food or especially wine that you can still savour for some time after tasting. That distinct aftertaste stays with you. I know people who like eating garlic and tuna but don’t like the strong or fishy lingering aftertaste of those foods. For wine this is usually an admirable thing because it indicates that there is some special intensity and depth there. A long finish is a particularly important factor in assessing the potential for aging of a young fine wine before all the elements are matured together. Generally this is a good characteristic to appreciate and admire but can also be overrated sometimes. For example if you are wanting a light elegant refreshing wine the overall balance will be a more important factor than a long finish. However, for quality more expensive wines from lower yields a long finish is something you are paying extra dollars for so be sure to take the time to enjoy it.

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