Niagara Escarpment Commission

	Wineries The Niagara Escarpment creates a microclimate that allows the growing of vinifera grapes (including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling). As a result, Niagara Region is one of the best grape-growing regions in the world. As the ground warms up in spring, cool air is drawn inland from Lake Ontario. Flowing in a circular pattern down the Escarpment and along the ground, this cool air delays bud burst on the vines, preventing potential damage by late spring frosts. In fall, the air circulation works in reverse. Air is warmed over the lake and moves inland along the ground. When it reaches the Escarpment it rises, drawing more warm air in behind it and giving the region the long, warm fall days needed to develop optimum sugar content in the grapes. Without the protection of the Niagara Escarpment Plan, it is conceivable that this rich agricultural region may have been lost to development in the 1980s for industrial or residential use rather than farmland. Links Angel's Gate Winery Calamus Estate Winery Cave Spring Cellars Chateau des Charmes Wines Crown Bench Estates Winery Daniel Lenko Estates Winery De Sousa Wine Cellars EastDell Estates Winery Featherstone Estate Winery Fielding Estate Winery Flat Rock Cellars Hernder Estates Winery Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery Lakeview Cellars Estate Winery Malivoire Wine Company Mountain Road Winery Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery Puddicombe Estate Farms & Winery Ridge Point Wines Stoney Ridge Cellars Thirty Bench Winery Vineland Estates Winery Grape Growers of Ontario Wines of Ontario Vintners’ Quality Alliance Maps printer friendly

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