The state of Canada in North America with the federal capital Ottawa covers 9,984,670 km² and is the second largest country in the world. It is located between the Atlantic to the east and the Pacific to the west, extending northward to the Arctic Ocean. Canada borders the USA to the south and northwest, to the east it borders the France overseas territory of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, and with the border created in 2022 over Hans Island, it borders Greenland. Canada is a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations (mostly former territories of the Great Britain) with the British monarch as head of state, represented by the Cabinet.

History

The German officer Johann (John) Schiller established vineyards near Toronto on the Credit River in 1811, which is considered the birth of Canadian viticulture. He experimented with the wild vines of the American species Vitis labrusca found there. In 1866, vineyards were planted with the Isabella variety by winemakers from Kentucky in the southern tip of the country on Pelee Island in Lake Erie. By the end of the 19th century, there were already around 50 wineries, most of them in Ontario. From the 1930s onwards, many French hybrids and American hybrids, especially with Frost, were planted. One of the main players was Adhémar de Chaunac Adhémar (1896-1962).

The images show vineyards on the shores of Lake Okanagan (British Columbia) and at Niagara Falls (Ontario).

Climate

In large parts of Canada, a continental climate prevails, especially in the interior, characterized by cold winters with an average of minus 5 °C and warm to hot summers with significant temperature fluctuations between the seasons. In the wine-growing regions (e.g., Ontario and British Columbia), there are often microclimates influenced by proximity to large bodies of water (such as the Great Lakes or Lake Okanagan). These bodies of water moderate temperatures, making the climate more suitable for viticulture.

Modern Viticulture

The Prohibition from 1916 to 1927, or the ban on public alcohol consumption, led to a significant boom in viticulture in Canada (unlike the USA). Wine was exempt from the alcohol ban due to clever lobbying by wine producers. During this time, the still-valid "Liquor Board System" was created, where the sale of alcoholic beverages is conducted through state stores (now also allowed through private businesses). Until the 1970s, mainly sweet, high-alcohol dessert wine from native Labrusca varieties were produced, which were then still referred to as Sherry or Port wine, which is now prohibited.

Only in 1975 was the first license granted for a privately operated winery, which was Inniskillin (Ontario) on the Niagara Peninsula near the waterfalls. One of the founders was the Austrian-born wine pioneer Karl KaiserKaiser...