Whites: Drink now or cellar 5 years or less. Reds: Drink now or cellar 5 years or less.

(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.

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 10 Years or More

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.
 

Drink Now or Cellar 5 Years or Less

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

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

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.

Whites - Drink Now. Reds - Drink Now or Cellar 5 Years or Less

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

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.

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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.

Whites - Drink Now. Reds - Drink Now or Cellar 5 Years or Less

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.

Drink Now

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.