64th Niagara Wine Festival is underway

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The Niagara Wine Festival is now underway marking its 64th year. It’s the largest wine festival in Ontario, and shines a spotlight on our local wines.

It’s harvest time in Niagara, and it all starts with grapes. As Vineland Estates Winery president Allan Schmidt says, we are very good at growing them.

“We are the perfect location geographically, we’ve got the right climate, we have got the right grape varieties, the same that are grown in all the nobel appelation in the world and have some great talented wine makers in the region.”

Not to mention a shorter growing season than other wine regions in the world.

Brothers Allan and Brian Schmidt are the third generation to be involved in the Canadian wine industry, and they’ve seen a lot of changes

“The transition we have seen in our industry has really been monumental; the dedication of people, the investments… that is happening in Niagara and throughout Ontario now.”

The Niagara wine industry is relatively young: 30 years ago there were only a handful of wineries in all of Ontario. But now, follow the wine route and you’ll find dozens of them. There are almost 15,000 acres of planted grapes in Niagara and more than 80 wineries. It’s a $2 billion a year industry – an industry that’s producing wine that’s gaining a lot of attention.

“We have actually garnered some huge international wine recognition around the world.”

September is the busiest month in Niagara wine country as they’re harvesting this year’s crop, and showcasing the fruits of their labour during the Niagara Wine Festival.