The challenges amid Canadian wine’s renaissance

Canadian wine is, after decades of anonymous plodding, coming into its own. Why has it taken so long, and what’s next? Kathleen Willcox reports. There are more than 650 wineries, 1770 grape growers and 31,650 acres under vine in four major growing regions (British Columbia, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Quebec), according to Wines of Canada. Growth and quality improvements have been particularly impressive in Ontario, where sparkling wine production has doubled in the past five years, and about one-third is done in the traditional method. British Columbia is also on the rise: as of 2019, there were 284 wineries 11,085 acres under vine, up from 131 wineries and 6,632 acres in 2006. Winemakers like Thomas Bachelder, of Ontario’s Bachelder Wines believes that the current zeitgeist and positive growth patterns are coming together to finally put Canadian wines on the map. “Our time has come,” Bachelder says. “Wine lovers are tired of jammy flavors and high alcohols. Our wines are cool and ...