Ontario

By Rick VanSickle

As we close the door on the first decade of the new millennium, there is much to look forward to from the vineyards of Ontario. With the 2007 red wines, the finest ever in Ontario, still being released, and the surprisingly exquisite 2008 white wines flooding store shelves, consumers will have lots to choose from in 2010. Looking back on the 2009 vintage, Mother Nature delivered another ghastly summer for much of Ontario, with cooler temperatures and high precipitation. But the season was long, with harvest for some red varieties extended by two weeks. Wine lovers are advised to stock up on 2007 reds, the aromatic 2008 whites and watch as the first white wines from 2009 arrive on shelves.

Vintage Charts

Vintage Ratings (MAX 7*)Status
2009
5.5
(Tentative) In many ways, 2009 was similar to 2008 in all appellations. A cool, wet summer put the harvest behind anywhere from 10 to 14 days for most red varieties. But a long, warm fall saved the vintage from total disaster. Aromatic whites will be the stars of the vintage, along with the pinot noirs that are already showing promise in the barrel. Bordeaux varieties had trouble ripening, especially cabernet sauvignon. The icewine crop was cut to a third of what it was in 2008.
Whites: Drink now or cellar 5 years or less. Reds: Drink now or cellar 5 years or less.
2008
5.5
It was a wet growing season in Ontario. Grape ripening in all appellations was a challenge. The quality of this vintage will depend entirely on vineyard management. Whites and cool-climate reds (pinot noir, gamay) fared better than other varietals. There are some gems to be found, but it was not a uniform vintage from winery to winery.
Whites: Drink now or cellar 5 years or less. Reds: Drink now or cellar 5 years or less.
2007
7
This is as good as it gets in all appellations. Many winemakers call 2007 the best vintage in Ontario’s history. It was warm, dry and ideal for extended hang time on the vines. The whites from 2007 are already showing beautiful concentration of flavour with complexity and balance, and the anticipated reds promise to be the ripest wines ever from Ontario.  
Whites - Drink Now or Cellar 5 Years or Less. Reds - Drink Now or Cellar 10 Years or More
2006
5.5
Not as wet as 2008, but still humid and slightly cooler than normal. The mood was upbeat as vines recovered from the terrible winter kill of 2005. There was plenty of sunshine in August, but a wet September meant wineries had to employ good vineyard selection. It was a decent year for chardonnay, riesling, merlot, gamay, cabernet franc, pinot noir and a great year for icewines.
Drink Now or Cellar 5 Years or Less
2005
5
This was a disastrous year. An extremely cold winter killed any hope for a healthy vintage with more than 50 per cent of the vintage wiped out. Many producers didn’t have enough wine to even sell and suffered hefty financial losses. Both Lake Erie North Shore and Pelee Island fared better than Niagara. The irony of the vintage was that, even with a tiny crop, what was grown still ended up being pretty good.
Drink Now or Cellar 5 Years or Less
2004
5.5
The 2004 vintage was a major relief for producers following the bad winter of 2003. Conditions improved immensely and vines recovered from the previous winter kill. The hot fall resulted in mature, ripe grapes, especially in the white varietals. Some of the stars of the vintage include riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir, cabernet franc and gamay. Tender varietals didn’t fare nearly as well.
Drink Now or Cellar 5 Years or Less
2003
5.5
This vintage had it all — a horrible winter resulting in another short crop (a reduction of 45 per cent of all vinifera vines), the reappearance of the Asian lady beetle (which causes a nasty taint in wines) and the emergence of some mighty fine whites despite all that.
Whites - Drink Now. Reds - Drink Now or Cellar 5 Years or Less
2002
6.5
A lot of winemakers rank this vintage up there with 2007 and 1998. It was highlighted by severe drought conditions in all Ontario appellations for most of the summer. The resulting grapes ripened beautifully, with small, concentrated grapes and high sugar levels. It was a great year across the broad spectrum of varietals, including some highly concentrated icewines.
Whites - Drink Now. Reds - Drink Now or Cellar 5 Years or Less
1999
6
The vintage got off to an early start, despite the lack of spring rain. There were concerns about size of the crop, with above-normal temperatures and below-normal rainfall, but late-July rains helped increase the size of the crop without hurting quality.
Drink Now
1998
6.5
The best examples from this benchmark vintage are still showing beautifully today. Even the whites, the big oak-treated chardonnays in particular, are still youthful and flavour-packed. This is considered by many winemakers, grape growers and wine writers to be the most significant vintage in Ontario’s history.
Whites - Drink Now. Reds - Drink Now or Cellar 5 Years or Less
1995
6.5
Before the wonderful 1998 vintage came along, this was the benchmark for Ontario wines. A mild winter was followed by a cool spring and delayed flowering. A warm-but-wet July put vines even further behind. Then everything came together with bright sun and warm days from August to October. It wasn’t a huge crop, but what was there was fantastic.
Drink Now

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