TORONTO STAR
"When you think of Ontario wine, the first picture that probably comes to mind is the Niagara Peninsula. Or it could be Pelee Island or Lake Erie North Shore.
These are the three designated zones where grapes can be grown to make wines that bear Ontario's VQA symbol.
But this doesn't mean you can't make wine from Ontario grapes anywhere else in the province. In Port Perry, Ocala Orchards Farm Winery has several acres of Chardonnay and Riesling along with their fruit wines.
And, believe it or not, there's a thriving viticultural community around Peterborough. Within 30 kilometres of that city there are at least 15 tiny vineyards. The driving force behind this minor explosion of activity is Larry Patterson, the Johnny Appleseed of Ontario wine.
Patterson works for the LCBO in Peterborough and is a big fan of the local product. When cuttings of Vidal become available from a vineyard called Wally's Folly (Patterson is one of nine partners who planted it in 1994), he gives them away to his customers with printed instructions on growing vines in the Kawarthas.
One bit of wisdom advises that"...vines will only survive long-term in our area if buried or covered with straw over winter. They need a little TLC."
Patterson got started by planting four Vidal vines donated by Paul Bosc of Chateau des Charmes against the south wall of his house in 1993. To his surprise, they survived.
The next year, Wally Henry planted Wally's Folly with small amounts of such tender red vinifera varietals as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. He also planted vines at his farm south of Buckhorn near Sandy Lake, to create the Henry of Buckhorn vineyard.
This year, farmers Lee and Wendy Etherington will become the first commercial growers in the Kawarthas when they plant 200 vines on their Caza Berry Farm in Buckhorn. Wisely, they're starting with winter hardy hybrids, Seyval Blanc (the most widely planted variety in Quebec vineyards) and Baco Noir.
Thanks to Larry's evangelism there has been an epidemic of plantings in the area. His LCBO colleague Hugh Johnstone is planting in Fenelon Falls and there are now established vineyard sites at Rice Lake, Smith, Cavan, Bailieboro, Janetville, Stoney Lake and Millbrook, to name a few.
And with a degree or two of global warming, who knows, the Canadian Shield might look like Burgundy - a sea of vines right up to Owen Sound.
