Congratulations to the Top 20 Wineries of 2021, a diverse collection of producers that best represent the province of Ontario, determined by our team’s visit experiences, and celebrated for their exceptional wines.
VineRoutes.com announces Ontario’s Top 20 Wineries of 2021, its second annual list of formidable producers, honoured for their outstanding wines and ability to deliver on customer experiences.
Each year, the VineRoutes editorial team tastes hundreds of Ontario-made wines through both pre-arranged and casual drop-in visits, and from these tastings and visits (that are allowed to date back three years), the editors select the Top 20 Wineries of the year via a preferential ballot. From Niagara – the centre of Ontario’s wine production – to Prince Edward County, further east, and Essex County, further south, this list calls out remarkable portfolios of wines in addition to exceptional service, quality-to-price-ratio (QPR), and other experiential attributes.
“When we launched this list for the first time in 2020, we had no idea how popular and well-received it would be,” says Carmelo Giardina, VineRoutes Editorial Director. “We’ve really worked hard as a team to evaluate and deliver, what we feel, is a list that truly represents Ontario’s wine community at its finest level.”
With the pandemic being at the forefront of all visit experiences over the last two years, Giardina says that those wineries that have been able to pivot successfully have been rewarded for their efforts.
“It’s not been an easy time for wineries to adapt to the fluidity of this pandemic,” continues Giardina. “Some have struggled with the uncertainty of it all, but others have risen to these challenges and have delivered outstanding, not to mention very safe, experiences for their guests. Even building on additions to their properties so that social distancing can be well enforced and that outdoor experiences can be enjoyed. We felt we really needed to acknowledge that this year.”
It should also be noted that this year’s list welcomes two wineries representing Ontario’s Lake Erie North Shore region – an area that was not represented in 2020’s inaugural announcement. This means that all three of Ontario’s official VQA designated wine regions are now recognized through this list.
Join us in congratulating these highly acclaimed wineries!
VineRoutes Wine Magazine’s Top 20 Wineries of 2021:
EMERGING REGION WINERIES
Adamo Estate Winery – Orangeville, Ontario
Burning Kiln Winery – Norfolk County, Ontario
LAKE ERIE NORTH SHORE (ESSEX COUNTY)
Colchester Ridge Estate Winery (CREW) – Harrow, Ontario
North 42 Degrees Estate Winery – Harrow, Ontario
NIAGARA ESCARPMENT
Flat Rock Cellars – Jordan Station, Ontario
Hidden Bench Estate Winery – Beamsville, Ontario
Honsberger Estate Winery – Jordan Station, Ontario
Kacaba Vineyards - Vineland, Ontario
Leaning Post Winery – Winona, Ontario
Malivoire Wine Company – Beamsville, Ontario
Tawse Winery – Vineland, Ontario
The Foreign Affair Winery – Vineland, Ontario
Thirty Bench Wine Makers – Beamsville, Ontario
Westcott Vineyards – Jordan Station, Ontario
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE
Southbrook Organic Vineyards – Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
Stratus Vineyards – Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
Two Sisters Vineyards – Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY
Closson Chase – Hillier, Ontario
Karlo Estates – Wellington, Ontario
Rosehall Run – Wellington, Ontario
Access the official story by visiting www.vineroutes.com.
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