Robert Bell's

Wines of Canada

Since 1992


Ontario Wine Regions

South Georgian Bay



Located north of Toronto on Lake Huron's east side you will find Georgian Bay. Often referred to as the sixth Great Lake, Georgian Bay features more than 30,000 islands and 2,000 kilometres of shoreline. The area includes Collingwood, Blue Mountain, Beaver Valley & Wasaga Beach. Three wineries are emerging from this new region, Coffin Ridge, halfway between Meaford and Owen Sound, has been selling wine for a few years now. Carrick Wines, further to the west on Highway 9 between Walkerton and Mildmay, is located on the rolling hills inland from Lake Huron and has been selling wine since 2010. Georgian Hills Vineyards, a few kilometres south of Thornbury, opened its doors to ... the public in summer, 2011

This is a true cold climate wine region with long warm summers but cold winters requiring hardy grape varietals such as L'Acadie Blanc, Geisenheim 318, Frontenac Gris, La Crescent, Prairie Star, and Auxerrois for white and Marquette, Baco Noir, Marechal Foch, Leon Millot Frontenac, and Pinot Noir the reds

The emerging wine region of Georgian Bay is a unique micro climate!
Slightly cooler than the Niagara Peninsula being at a more northerly latitude (45th parallel), a higher altitude +300ft above Lake Ontario, and having a cooler lake effect from the colder body of water of Georgian Bay.


Four Wheels Farm and Winery



2nd Streetlight Estate Winery

36594 Huron Road
Clinton, Ontario N0M 1L0


Sahadev and Shannon Banerjee from Manitoba had a dream to open a winery. When opportunity present itself they moved from Winnipeg, to London in June of 2008 for complete medical residency at Western University. 

Falling in love with the Huron County they searched and found property to start their winery. After three years of trying to find the right property, the perfect location presented itself: 45 acres with 3 buildings that could work as a home, storage and retail. The property was in desperate need of being cleared, as it had been left fallow for the past 30 years. Weeds, Sumac and large trees had taken over. After spending the first two summers fighting back nature, it was ready for planting. In 2016, 5 different variety of vines: Cabernet Franc, Baco Noir, Vidal, Chardonnay and Riesling were planted. In 2017 they started construction of the winery.

Winemaker:


Coffin Ridge Winery

590070 2nd Concession North RR#1
Annan, ON N0H 1BO


Situated north of Toronto near Lake Huron; close to Owen Sound

The boutique winery overlooks the crystal blue water of Georgian Bay. In the shadow of the Niagara Escarpment sits Grey County's first winery, Coffin Ridge. They small batch wine made primarily from grapes grown from hand planted, hand picked Grey County grapes. Coffin Ridge's three signature wines: Into The Light White, Back From The Dead Red and Resurrection Rose express the Grey County terroir exquisitely. The winery is owned by Neil Lamont

 The modern tasting room opens to an elevated deck overlooking Georgian Bay and the picturesque vineyard. 

Winemaker: Steve Byfield


Creemore Hills Winery

2607 Concession 5 South
Nottawasaga, Clearview,

 

 

Located in the Creemore Valley south of Georgian Bay.

 Only a decade or so ago, Catherine Morrissey was looking for land to plant a vineyard in Argentina. She had become interested in wine making and believed Argentina offered the best potential. Morrissey, who lives and works in Toronto, was familiar with Creemore, but it never struck her as a wine-producing region. Then she found this 49-acre farm property with a landscape that reminded her of Tuscany and thought, “maybe this land will work.”

Catherine and her partner, Stephen Loewy, contacted a professor of viticulture from Brock University who examined the property and suggested they could grow a hybrid grape recently developed through the University of Minnesota, which can tolerate winter temperatures well below zero. 

 

 


Four Wheels Farm

Creemore Hills


Located midway between Creemore Hill and Collingwood overlooking Georgia Bay. The winery benifits from the breezes of the Niagara Escapment and its south facing slopes. Featuring a hertige farm with a 125 year old barn were the Boutique winery is located. The winery is built in the lower level of a 125 year old barn over looking the vineyard. The owner is Chuck Magnot.

Chuck stared the vineyard in 2015 with hardy winter hybrids, Frontenac, Sabrevios and Marchal Foch He has added Bacco Noir Vidal, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc.

They produce icewine and Maple Syrup.

They have planted 5.5 acres.

 

Winemaker:


Georgian Hills Vineyards

496350 Grey Road 2 PO Box 491
Blue Mountains,


Georgin Hills winery

The vineyards are located on Ravenna Bench over looking Georgian Bay (east shores of Lake Heron). The winery is owned by John Ardiel, Murray Puddicombe and Robert Ketchin. Their vision is to establish a grape growing region in the Georgia Bay area.

Beginning in 1998, the founding partners John Ardiel, Robert Ketchin and Murray Puddicombe began conducting test sites to gain an understanding of the best potential vineyard sites, viticulture methods and grape varieties for the emerging cool climate region of Georgian Bay.

In 2004 John Ardiel planted and established a five acre commercial vineyard at Ardiel Acres on the west side of Beaver Valley. In 2005 the partners purchased land at Victoria Corners and then planted twelve more acres in 2007, now the home site for Georgian Hills Vineyards & Winery.

In total, the two sites by 2012 were producing over 30 tons of grapes, made up of European Vinifera varieties – Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir, as well as popular French American Hybrids such as Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Maréchal Foch and Baco Noir.

The old barn on the property was renovated and refurbished to become the home winery and since 2009 fall vintage we have been making wine at the vineyard site.

On September 30th 2010 the tasting room and retail store were officially opened.

Testing for this area began in 1998, in 2004 they planted a 5 acre commercial vineyard on the west side of Beaver Valley.
In 2007 the Victoria Corners Estate Vineyard consisting of 12 acres was planted. The winery will specialize in cool climate grapes such as Alsace, Loire, Chablis and Northern Burgundy

Signature wines – Riesling, Seyval Blanc, Gamay Noir, Marechal Foch and Vidal Icewine.

Georgian Hills Vineyard is home for Ardiel Cider House Wine brands are Notty Bay wines, Wild & Inspired abd Georgian Hills.


Philosophy: Looking for a local terroir style, minimalist approach, low yields focusing on cool climate grape varieties


Gleason Brook Winery

130466 Gleason Lake Rd
Wiarton, Ontario

 


Located near Wiarton a community in Bruce County, Ontario, at the western end of Colpoys Bay, an inlet off Georgian Bay, on the Bruce Peninsula. The community is part of the town of South Bruce Peninsula, Ontario. Georgian is part of Lake Huron in its south east corner.

Gleason Brook Winery is a small, family owned operation, producing wines from locally sourced grapes and the Niagara region. The vineyard is located on the “Dolomite Cap” of the Niagara Escarpment. Our wines are made in the natural style, containing only grapes and yeast for fermentation, with no added sulphates, clarifying agents, or chemical additives.

 The farm is owned by Jackie and Tim Dixon. Tim's sister Mary Ann Dixon helps run the winery.

Why did you start the winery together?

Several reasons, but one is the (possibly naïve) belief that a small boutique winery could support environmental causes.  Two examples:  First, we are hoping to use the winery as an event space in support of certain environmental causes.   A winery dinner for one such event is actually planned for this summer.  The date is August 10, it will support NeighbourWoods North, a group focused on restoring local forests and wetlands, and re-foresting urban habitats.  Their current project is the Healing Path, a nature walk around Owen Sound Hospital.     Dinner will be prepared by Zachary Keeshig, a local celebrity chef that apprenticed with Michael Stadtländer.   Second, a winery that is all-organic can showcase some sustainable farming practices, for example using sheep and mechanical tilling instead of Round-Up to keep the weeds at bay.

 

Winemaker:



Muskoka Lakes Winery

Box 24 1074 Cranberry Rd
Bala, ON K0L 2J0

Tel: 705-762-3203

muskoka Lake winery


Located two hours north of Toronto on Lake Muskoka. Bala is home to the only two producing commercial cranberry farms in the province. In 1952, Orville Johnston began planting cranberries. Over fifty years later, Johnston's Cranberry Marsh is one of the oldest cranberry farms in Canada and is owned and operated by Orville's son, Murray Johnston and Murray's wife, Wendy Hogarth.

In the fall of 2001, the Johnstons decided to begin a new venture, Muskoka Lakes Winery. While grapes don't grow in the region, cranberries sure do, and MLW specializes in wines made with Muskoka's native berry. With Jim Warren, a well-known winemaker in the Niagara region, as a consultant the Johnstons began making wine.

As a teenager, Orville Johnston worked summers on George Mollard’s cranberry farm in MacTier. It was Ontario’s first commercial cranberry farm, and it inspired Orv. He enrolled at McGill University to study agriculture. At university, he met wife-to-be, June, who was studying home economics. In 1950, the summer before graduation, Orv bought land in Bala and began building Ontario’s second cranberry farm. By the mid 1950’s, it was Ontario’s only cranberry farm and stayed that way until the 1970’s. Together, Orv and June pioneered an industry, growing cranberries, raising a family of four and making products from the fruit they grew.

Their son Murray and his wife Wendy Murray and Wendy expanded the farm to include Muskoka Lakes Winery.

Signature wines : Cranberry, Cranberry Blueberry, White Cranberry, Wild Blueberry, Oak Aged Wild Blueberry and Red Maple (a fortified dessert wine made with cranberries and maple syrup). Recently they added cider to their list of products

Numerous family events are planned throughout the entire year.

Winemaker: North Johnston
Philosophy: To create quality wines that express Muskoka. We farm to have the least amount of impact possible on the environment. We want to preserve what we love about this area for our children and protect it for future generations. Responsible growing practices ensure a sustainable future.



The Roost at Red Wing

415763 10th Line, RR1
The Blue Mountains, ON
N0H 1J0


The Roost winery

Located on a picturesque hilltop in the heart of the Blue Mountains,near Ravenna, Ontario with stunning views of Georgian Bay and only 20 minutes from Collingwood and Thornbury. The winery is the fulfillment of a dream for husband-and-wife team Michael and Jessica Maish. Together the pair do everything from tending the vines to making the wine.

Jessica and Mike studied Enology and Viticulture, respectively, at Washington State University. 

The tasting room is located in a 19th century barn. Read More

Winemaker: Michael and Jessica Maish
Philosophy



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