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Canada

Canada (GB)
Canadá (ES)
Canada (F)
Canada (I)
Canadá (PO)
Canada (N)

The state of Canada in North America, with the federal capital Ottawa, covers 9,984,670 km², making it the second largest country in the world. It lies between the Atlantic Ocean in the east and the Pacific Ocean in the west and extends northwards to the Arctic Ocean. Canada borders the USA to the south and north-west, the French overseas territory of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon to the east and Greenland with the border created in 2022 via Hans Island. Formally, Canada is a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations (largely former territories of the British Empire) with the British monarch as head of state, who is represented by the Cabinet (Committee of the Canadian Crown Council).

Kanada - Landkarte, Flagge und Wappen

History

In 1811, the German officer Johann (John) Schiller planted eight hectares of vines near Toronto on the Credit River, which is considered the birth of Canadian viticulture. He experimented with wild vines of the American species Vitis labrusca found there. In 1866, in the southern tip of the country on Pelee Island in Lake Erie, winegrowers from Kentucky planted vineyards with the Isabella variety. By the end of the 19th century, there were already around 50 wineries, most of them in the province of Ontario. From the 1930s onwards, many French and American hybrids were planted, with particular emphasis being placed on the frost resistance of the vines.

One of the main protagonists was the viticultural pioneer Adhémar de Chaunac (*1896), who founded Eisweinicewineproduction. The climate is extreme, with very cold winters averaging minus 5 °C and hot summers, but on the Niagara Peninsula to the south it is ideal for viticulture thanks to the moderating influence of the huge Lakes Ontario and Erie.

Kanada - Rebflächen am Lake Okanagan und Eisweinfelder bei Niagara Falls

Viticulture in modern times

Prohibition, which was introduced in 1916 and remained in force until 1927, led to a major upturn in viticulture in Canada (in contrast to the USA). Thanks to skilful lobbying by wine producers, wine was exempt from the ban on alcohol. At this time, the "Liquor Board System" was created, which is still in force today, in which the sale of alcoholic beverages is carried out by state-run shops (private shops are now also permitted). Until the 1970s, it was mainly sweet, high-alcohol dessert wines made from local Labrusca varieties that were still labelled as sherry or port at the time, which has since been banned.

It was not until 1975 that the first licence since Prohibition was granted to a privately run winery, the Inniskillin (Ontario) winery on the Niagara Peninsula near the Falls. One of the founders was the Austrian-born pioneer Karl Kaiser (1941-2017), who initiated the production of icewine, which is favoured by the climatic conditions. Today, Canada is the world's largest producer of icewines. This also marked the beginning of the increased cultivation of European Vitis vinifera varieties. However, hybrids still make up a relatively large proportion. In 2021, the vineyards covered 13,191 hectares and the wine production volume was 656,000 hectolitres. The grape variety index (Kym Anderson):

Grape variety

Colour

Synonyms

hectares

Seyval Blanc white - 2.259
Chardonnay white - 1.417
Riesling white - 1.188
Cabernet Franc red - 820
Baco Noir red - 704
Cabernet Sauvignon red - 660
Pinot Gris white - 649
Pinot Noir red - 639
Merlot red - 633
Gewürztraminer white - 398
Arinarnoa red - 289
Sauvignon Blanc white - 285
Gamay red Gamay Noir 272
Syrah red Shiraz 260
Concord red - 183
Millot-Foch red - 124
Pinot Blanc white - 109
Viognier white - 101
Maréchal Foch red - 94
Niagara White white - 87
L'Acadie Blanc white - 65
Frontenac red - 64
Vidal Blanc white Vidal 59
De Chaunac red - 53
Marquette red - 44
Cot red Côt, Malbec 41
Auxerrois white Pinot Auxerrois 38
Muscat Swenson white - 36
Ehrenfelser white - 32
Muscat Ottonel white Muscat Ottonel 32
Aligoté white - 30
Frontenac Blanc white - 26
Ortega white - 26
Petit Verdot red - 26
Frontenac Gris white - 25
Siegerrebe white - 22
Lucie Kuhlmann red - 21
Bacchus white - 20
Léon Millot red - 20
Sémillon white - 19
Zweigelt red - 19
Blauburger red - 18
St Croix red St Croix 17
Vandal-Cliche white - 14
Schönburger white - 14
Geisenheim 318-57 white - 14
Dornfelder red - 13
St Pepin white St Pepin 13
Sabrevois red - 13
Seyval Noir red - 12

Wine law

The VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) appellation system was introduced in 1988. The province or geographical origin is indicated. In the province of Ontario, the VQAs are Lake Erie North Shore, Niagara Peninsula and Pelee Island. In the province of British Columbia, there are Fraser Valley, Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley and Vancouver Island. The small wine-growing regions in the provinces of Nova Scotia = Nova Scotia (with hybrids and Russian varieties) and Quebec (mainly Seyval Blanc) are not classified as VQA. The wines must come from grapes from the province and be bottled there. If the province is named, 75% of the grape variety specified must come from there; if the origin is specified, 85% must come from there.

Only hybrids and vinifera varieties are authorised (no native Vitis labrusca). Grape varieties not authorised for VQA are processed into port and sherry imitations or light wines (up to 7% vol.). In the case of two grape varieties, the second must make up at least 10% of the total, and 95% of the wine must come from that year. Minimum must weights are prescribed, but there are no yield limits. The wines undergo a sensory inspection and are awarded the black VQA seal if they pass, and the gold VQA seal if they achieve 15 to 20 points. All information on the label must be in English and French, for example Vin de glace and Icewine for ice wine.

Producers

The annual wine production volume is around 600,000 hectolitres. Important producers are Château des Charmes, Gray Monk Estate Winery, Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards, Henry of Pelham Family, Hillebrand Estates, Inniskillin (Ontario and British Columbia), Mission Hill Winery, Quayles Gate Estate Wibnery, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery and Vincor International.

Map: © Goruma
Flag: Public domain, Link
Coat of arms: by Mrs Cathy Bursey-Sabourin, PD-Official work, Link

Lake Okanagan: By Kelly Nigro, CC BY 2.0, Link
Niagara Falls: Craig Hatfield, CC BY 2.0, Link

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Hans-Georg Schwarz

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