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Tuesday 29 October 2013

Ontario Wineries - Makers of World Class Wines

Ontario, a province of Canada, is home to a large number of vineyards and is Canada's largest wine producing region. Hence the term - Ontario Wineries. Ontario is roughly located on the same latitude as southern France which is the topwine producing region in the world. There are four official winegrowing regions in Ontario, recognized by Canada's regulatory body, VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance). These four regions, namely the Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie, Pelee Island, and Prince Edward County, enjoy favourable climatic conditions conducive to grape cultivation.

Besides being a producer of world class grapewine, Ontario is also home to a large number of wineriesproducing fruitwines. Wines made from apple, apricot, black currant, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, cranberry, elderberry, gooseberry, huckleberry, nectarine, peach, pear, plum, red currant, raspberry, and strawberry, largely come from wineries in Ontario.

Varietals and Blended Wines

A winemade principally from one variety of grapes and carrying the name of that grape is known as a Varietalwine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot, Syrah, or Shiraz, are a few examples of grape varieties commonly used in red varietal wines. Chardonnay, Reisling, Pinot Gris, and Sauvignon Blanc are types of white varietalwines.

Blended wines are made using two or more varieties of grapes. Wine blends offer more complexity thanvarietalwines. By blending varietals, the flavour and texture of winegets smoother and softer. The most common example of a blendedwine is Bordeaux redwines. Bordeaux redwine is made with blending different varietal wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Carmenere, and Petit Verdot.

Wine Tourism in Ontario

Ontario should definitely feature on the must visit list forwine lovers. Visiting the picturesque and well laid out Ontario wineries is a life time experience. There are a number ofwineries which conduct guided tours throughout the year. The visitors can witness the entire process starting from grape handling and processing, wineaging, and right up to winebottling. These tours normally end with wine tasting where visitors can buywines and other winegifts and souvenirs. Many wine enthusiasts also choose to orderwine online to avoid the hassle of carting bottles in person.

Wineries in this region are also well known for their icewines or late harvest dessertwines. Ice wine is made from grapes that have been naturally frozen on the vines. These frozen grapes are then pressed and the juices are squeezed out and fermented. These winesare ultra-rich and very sweet and are a great accompaniment with desserts. In fact, a majority of icewine's world production takes place at Ontario Wineries.

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