Canada's wineries

 

There are now over 300 licensed wineries in Canada and more in the planning stages.

Ranging from the internationally known Vincor wineries , Mission Hill, and Chateau de Charmes to the small farm fruit wineries of the Maritime provinces, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Way back in the 1980's when I started enjoying a glass of wine with dinner my friends were drinking beer, my mother preferred tea, my father Gin. Over the years we have seen a tremendous change in the drinking habits of Canadians from beer to French and Italian wines to actually preferring Canadian wines.

When www.winesofcanada.com was started five maybe six years ago there were a mere 26 wineries listed in the
BC liquor commission hand book. In 1981 there were 14 wineries in BC, by 2002 there were 71
licensed wineries, five fruit wineries and 16 winery licenses pending. Every year there are more wineries opening all
across Canada. There are fruit wineries in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Living in BC It was easy to find information about the wineries here, although most of it was outdated .
It was more difficult to obtain information about Ontario and the wineries in the east. Most wineries did not have a website.
Canadian wine was not a hot topic nor could you find a Canadian wine on most restaurant's wine list.

The most recognized areas for producing wines in Canada are southern Ontario around the Great Lakes most notably the Niagara Peninsula and the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia.

Canada's first commercial vineyard, Vin Villa, was established on Pelee Island in 1866. Pelee was replanted in 1980 and now features the largest planting of European vinifera grapes in Canada. The island has developed a profitable tourist trade around the ruins of the original vineyard.

Canada's Wineries



British Columbia
Saskatchewan
Ontario
Québec
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland

Where to Stay while visiting the Wineries click here.