Niagara Escarpment AVA

Grape growing in this area dates back to before the Civil War. Today, just like its neighbor region of Niagara in Canada, it is a flourishing wine production area, particularly for Vitis vinifera varieties such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Riesling, and Chardonnay.

Thanks to the escarpment, a limestone ridge that stretches around Lake Ontario to the Canadian province of Ontario, a warming effect from the lake allows many different varieties to perform well and ripen easily.

The escarpment is an interesting geological feature created by uneven erosion after the last ice age, approximately 12,000 years ago.

The vineyards are planted on the remaining hard dolomitic limestone, providing higher acidity levels in the wines, and giving them a fresh mineral aroma.

Thanks to the very cold winters, you can also find some spectacular ice wine here if the conditions of that vintage are right.