Page 21 - GBC Summer ENG 2021

Wine Industry
Peller Estates Winery, Niagara-On-The-Lake, ON.
States is the second largest, followed by Italy and France. There are now over 700 domestic winer- ies and the industry generates more than $9 Billion in annual economic impact.
GEOGRAPHICAL SWEET SPOT
So, what makes our wine so special? From Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, all of our growing regions have a unique combination of characteristics that allow for the production of excep- tional wines.
The first is latitude. Wine growing regions around the world, includ- ing our own, are found between 30 and 50 degrees latitude. In the Northern Hemisphere, geography
beyond 50 degrees North tends to be too cold, suffering harsh winters and risk of damaging frost in the spring. South of 30 degrees, the climate is too hot and vines do not go into seasonal dormancy.
Within this geographical sweet spot, we are at the Northern thresh- old of viticultural potential and, to no surprise, considered a cool growing climate. That being said, we certainly do get hot tempera- tures. In the southern Okanagan, where Canada’s only desert is located, daytime temperatures regularly soar over 35 degrees Celsius!
Our northern latitude also provides some significant advan- tages. Most Canadian vineyards experience a dramatic swing
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