Page 37 - July Hawaii Beverage Guide

wiNE REgiON
Canadian wine exports to the U.S. more than tripled from 2011 to 2015, rising from just over 20 million liters to more than 70 million.
“That terroir makes it perfect for Chardonnay, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Cabernet Franc,” says Madrigale.
advantage: Ontario
More and more of Ontario’s producers are nding importers in the U.S., and producers like Cave Springs, Flat Rock Cellars, and Malivoire are all increasingly available. The Okanagan has a continental, somewhat warmer climate than Ontario; plantings in British Columbia are accordingly divided about 50/50 between red and whites, whereas in Ontario whites dominate. Despite the success of producers like Mission Hill here, few BC wineries have found U.S. importers so far. At a recent tasting in Manhattan, wines from six BC producers including Little Farm, from the Similkameen Valley (the rest being from the Okanagan), demonstrated the quality of the region’s wines. Only one, however, Nk-Mip (North America’s rst Aboriginally-owned winery), had a
conventional U.S. importer.
In any case, the U.S. seems prepared
to look beyond icewine. Baker says the East Coast is especially receptive, thanks
While most of Ontario’s wines arelocatedonthepeninsula,Prince Edward County, northeast on the far side of the Lake, is also home to some well- regarded producers such as Norman Hardie. Positive climatic and soil conditions have always been there, but politics and regulations also played an important role in motivating producers to improve wine quality. “We banned the use of local [non- vinifera] a few decades ago,” says Charles Baker, Marketing Director at Niagara-On- The Lake’s Stratus Vineyards. “That was a key step. Hybrids are still allowed, but get a lower appellation. NAFTA was a big deal, too; that could have gone either way, but the industry decided to push forward” rather than letting imports relegate Canadian wines to a secondary status.
to the success of Finger Lakes wines, just across the border and working in the same cool-climate conditions. “The word’s out. I was recently in Chicago pouring at a tasting for young sommeliers. They know the story; they just want to taste the juice. They don’t need all the explanations; we’re way beyond that now. That’s the rst line of attack; now it’s about getting it into the glass of the consumer. It’s not Niagara Falls but it’s growing.” n
Charles Baker
Gamay, Prinot Noir and Cabernet Franc are among the red grapes that excel in Canada, both in Ontario and British Columbia. The terrain of British Columbia is peppered with desert, mountains and lakes; and its of cial subregions reach all the way to the Washington State border.
HAWAIIBEVGUIDE.COM
JULY 2017 HAWAII BEVERAGE GUIDE A-3