Article about Ontario wines

"Ontario Wine Country: The New Frontier for Riesling and Pinot Noir". Just across the border from me.
http://www.wineaccess.com/expert/tanzer/intro.html?content_id=93118

Question for Howie or anyone else:

The Canadian side of the escarpment is filled with a zillion (slight exaggeration) wineries, many of them very good - excellent, some very fancy-dancy. On the US side, the very same escarpment runs from Niagara Falls to Watertown, but just a handful of wineries are there, a number of them mom and pop operations of recent vintage. How come the difference? There are lots of wineries elsewhere in New York State. Why has the Niagara region been so slow getting into the game?

Dan - the number of wineries just across the border, in Niagara County, NY is ever increasing. The reason why the Canadians have a head start is twofold. First of all, the Canadian wine grape industry was subsidized - I believe by the government of Ontario, thus encouraging growers to plant vines meeting VQA standards. In NY State, during the 1970s, before commercially feasible vinefera was thought possible in this area, there were many growers in Niagara County who supplied grapes, under contract, to the large wineries in Hammondsport (Taylor, Great Western, Gold Seal, etc.). However, when these wineries were all bought by conglomerates (Coca-Cola, etc.), they broke the contracts with the local growers and imported rail cars full of cheap juice from California. Remember Walter S. Taylor and Bully Hill vs Taylor Wine? This caused some pretty severe financial hardships to these growers, most of whom tore out their grapes and replanted with other crops. The only positive thing NY State did was to pass the Farm Winery Act in the late 1970s to help with the establishment of new wineries, but the number of growers with wine making and business skills was very small. The turnaround has only been going on for about the last 12 years and is slowly catching on. The Niagara, NY Wine Trail now lists 16 wineries. 13 years ago, there were none. http://www.niagarawinetrail.org/pages/nwt_wineries.html
EDIT: FWIW - the financial climate of the early 1980s also worked against it. In 1982, I wrote a feasibility study for opening a winery in Niagara County and learned that at 19.5% interest rates, the payback period on investing in a winery was infinite - in other words, one could never make a profit, only pay interest on loans and nothing against the principle. And at the time loan rates were over 16%.

Here is a different link to the same article in the original post, but it includes the winery reviews: http://italianbestwines.com/sito%20ian/Article%202010/Niagara.pdf

I also found that the Niagara Peninsula wineries get a lot of daytripers from the Toronto area who are discerning and well heeled. This potential market brings investment into the area, plus the fact that Ontario has a monopoly on wine sales through the LCBO, so if you can get your wine on their list, you get some decent distribution. Glad to see things picking up on the US side of the river!

We buy our Canadian wine in New Brunswick which is where we travel in Canada. Their package stores have a reasonable selection of BC wines, but just about all from Ontario have that line on the label indicating that the grapes can be from anywhere. Why are there not more of the quality Niagara wines in the inter-provincial channels?

Because the provinces still don't believe in open borders, if you can believe it. It is illegal to bring alcohol over provincial borders; shipping across borders is not allowed, of course. In BC, we will see about 10 Ontario wines, and 500 BC wines; the same ratio (reversed) can be found in Ontario. Strange but true.

Good to see some attention given to Ontario wines. I agree that riesling is the top variety, and in good year cab franc and pinot can be nice too.

Having asked the question, let me suggest that the earlier development of a strong wine industry on the Canadian side of the escarpment had a lot to do with population differences. That section of Ontario, known as the Golden Horseshoe, contains a significant hunk of the population of not only the Province of Ontario but of Canada as a whole. The corresponding section in New York is rural to the extreme. A drive along Lake Ontario from Hamilton ON to the outskirts of Rochester NY is like going back through time. For once, the slow food side is the US. The geology and climate along the escarpment might be roughly the same, but the Canadian side's far greater population provided social and economic support for a developing wine industry that just wasn't there on the US side. Moreover, at pretty much the same time Ontario's wine industry was taking off much the same thing also was happening in New York State, except resources there were being directed to the Finger Lakes and Long Island. Of course, everything is much clearer in hindsight.

Dan - the populations near the two regions are not that much different. The Regional Municipality of Niagara has a population of 427,000, bordered by the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth with 505,000. Niagara County, NY has 216,000 and is bordered by Erie County (Buffalo) 918,000.

[James Roscoe]

Dan - the populations near the two regions are not that much different. The Regional Municipality of Niagara has a population of 427,000, bordered by the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth with 505,000. Niagara County, NY has 216,000 and is bordered by Erie County (Buffalo) 918,000.

Isn't Toronto the major metropolitan city in the area? Are there any Canadian cities of roughly the same size as Buffalo within the Toronto area? Has Buffalo become a Toronto suburb? (How 'bout them Toronto Bills?) Too bad crossing the border is such a PITA!

Dan - the populations near the two regions are not that much different. The Regional Municipality of Niagara has a population of 427,000, bordered by the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth with 505,000. Niagara County, NY has 216,000 and is bordered by Erie County (Buffalo) 918,000.

Aw gee Howie! You always spoil things with data.

Dan - the populations near the two regions are not that much different. The Regional Municipality of Niagara has a population of 427,000, bordered by the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth with 505,000. Niagara County, NY has 216,000 and is bordered by Erie County (Buffalo) 918,000.

Isn't Toronto the major metropolitan city in the area? Are there any Canadian cities of roughly the same size as Buffalo within the Toronto area? Has Buffalo become a Toronto suburb? (How 'bout them Toronto Bills?) Too bad crossing the border is such a PITA!

Yeah, all that security theatre at the border gets me down. Once in the good old days we were crossing into Buffalo from Niagara at about 1 a.m. I swear the border agent was asleep in his little booth. When we finally got his attention it was like "where you from"? US, OK.

I think Dan is on the right track. The populations on both sides of the Niagara River might be very close as Howie pointed out but if you look at population density there is a lot more “open space” and “less development” on the US side. (The “Field of Dreams” philosophy-planting the vines making the wine and they would come (is a good one) but…). If tourists don’t have “nearby” places to stay and eat (motels, hotels, B&B, restaurants, etc) or if they have to “set-up” a “home base” an hour or two away this makes things difficult. Howie knows better he lives there! One quick question Howie, is half your town in Niagara County and the other half in Erie County?

Salute

Victor - I actually live in the Town of Wheatfield, between Niagara Falls and North Tonawanda, but have a North Tonawanda mailing address. I grew up in Niagara Falls. The city of North Tonawanda is in Niagara County. The city of Tonawanda is in Erie County. Both cities are on the banks of the Niagara River, but are separated by the Erie Canal, which ends in the Niagara River. For about 5 miles, the Erie Canal and Tonawanda Creek are the same waterway. Tonawanda Creek continues East and forms the border between Erie and Niagara Counties. The Erie Canal branches off to the North to the City of Lockport, which is the Niagara County seat. There are many hotels, motels and restaurants within 20 to 30 minutes of the wine trail and limo and bus tours have taken off lately. Almost all of the plantings in the past 10 years have been vinefera, dominated by Riesling, Pinot Noir and Cab Franc, although there are some wines being made from some older plantings of hybrids and labrusca. I would categorize the Canadian side as lots of vineyards interspersed with suburban sprawl, and the US side with the populations centered in cities and towns with lots of mixed farmland, including grapes, in between. Actually, I believe more cherries, apples and peaches are grown in Niagara County than grapes.

[James Roscoe]

Howie and Ed Draves took a bunch of us on a tour of the Niagara Wine Trail a few years ago before NiagaraCool. You could see the potential then. My best memory is of Freedom Runwhich really impressed me. We really had only on "bad" experience. I can't remember the name of the winery, but it was pretty awful. All the others were producing very nice wines that showed great potential. We had seen the Ontario wineries by Howie and Ed the year before and found them to be world class. I would say the New York side of the escarpment is 10 to 20 years behind the Canadian side in terms of consistency and quality. Some more investment money and the infusion of talent (why isn't a certain winemaker from Wheatfield working up there?) and the New York side could catch up more quickly. The vagaries of nature and the economy will, as always, be the biggest roadblocks IMO.

James wrote;
I would say the New York side of the escarpment is 10 to 20 years behind the Canadian side in terms of consistency and quality.

Hi James,
Maybe from a “commercial” stand point would I agree with that. But knowing a couple of “winemakers” (mostly “amateur”) from the area I would disagree with that. (Heck- Howie is from the area!) The “terroir” on both sides of the river are basically the same. A lot of the winemakers on the US side started off as very passionate (all-around) farmers or “gentleman farmers” and “amateur” winemakers (IMHO some of the areas most “talented” winemakers are still just “amateurs” and “gentlemen farmers”). In “recognition” alone are they a little behind the “Canadians” on the other side.

From Howie’s reply I see that things have changed considerable in the last ten years. The area’s “tourist” industry back then prior to this time was probably “geared up” for the “recreational fishing” and “outdoor getaway” (and I’m sure there is some “good” fishing in the nearby waterways). Its good to see the areas chamber of commerce now targeting those tourists that visit the area for its “wine trail” and a “romantic getaway” in “wine country”.

Salute

[James Roscoe]

Victor, I am in basic agreement, but it will take years for the US side to catch up with out an influx of cash. Also the vagaries of nature and the economy will all take their toll. Having met many of those same "amateurs", there is absolutely no question that the talent and know-how are there. My only question is whether the cash is available to see them through. Should someone like Howie be making wine commercially? Absolutely. Anyone who has tasted his wines knows that. The problem is the cash! At least that is my opinion. I suspect it will take ten to twenty years for this to sort itself out. My predictions are subject to change and I would LOVE to be wrong. I see what is happening in Virginia another excellent state for viticulture, and the growth there is spectacular. However think time and resources make viticulture such as you see in California, Oregon, and Washington at least a decade away in places like Niagara and Virginia. The Finger Lakes and Ontario are much closer to that sort of place IMO.

One of the rising stars in the area is Jonathan Oakes. He is the winemaker at Leonard Oakes Winery. The winery, which we visited at our last NiagaraCOOL, is part of a family farm business that has been growing fruit, mostly apples, for over 100 years. Jonathan is young, but has studied Oenology and Viticulture in Canada and served an apprenticeship over there (Cave Spring, I believe). He also advises a few of the other local wineries. He makes a great hard cider. Here is a link to his latest accomplishment: Leonard Oakes ice wine wins N.Y. competition

I'm way out of my depth in saying this, but I strongly suspect that what we are talking about is a problem in the study of economic geography. Once an industry gains a foothold in a region it can feed on itself, attracting professionals and support subsidiaries, thereby increasing its strength many times over. In the process, other regions perhaps similar in many respects, and potential competitors to it, are crowded out of a game that now has become far too concentrated and expensive to get into. Do we have an economic geographer out there? Here's a reasonably accessible reference for the nerds at heart: http://www.geocomputation.ecnu.edu.cn/download/6.pdf

Maybe once the Finger Lakes are trashed by the fracking industry, the winemaking/tourism focus will shift to Niagara? Just being cynical......

Slate magazine has an interesting piece on how Detroit became the auto capitol. Here's a snippet:

"There was no indication that Detroit would come to dominate car making in the industry’s early years. According to economist Steven Klepper of Carnegie Mellon University, none of the 69 companies that entered the auto industry (PDF) between 1895 and 1900 was located in Detroit. Olds Motor Works became the city’s first major carmaker when it relocated from Lansing in 1900. Ransom Olds then made a decision that would shape the course of the industry—rather than creating hundreds of small components in-house for his Curved Dash Runabout, he subcontracted much of the work to companies in Detroit’s flourishing manufacturing sector. The people who built the car’s parts eventually learned so much about automotive manufacturing that they went on to launch their own brands. Olds’ subcontractors included the Briscoe brothers, who helped build Buick, and machinist Henry Leland, who created Cadillac and Lincoln. The Dodge brothers also cut their teeth making parts for both Olds and Henry Ford. Ransom Olds, himself, eventually left Olds Motor Works to found the REO car company. A few other executives from Olds founded Chalmers and Hudson. William Durant, the man behind General Motors, was twice forced out of the company, forming Chevrolet and later Durant Motors while he was away. All of these ventures were based in or near Detroit."

It would seem unlikely to me that the development of local wine industries could not be understood in similar terms.