Although the chilly climate may not seem to be conducive for growing vines, Canada has been making good wine with increasing sophistication over the past 20 years. The province of Ontario, with its climate tempered by the Great Lakes, produces more than three out of four bottles of Canadian wine, from 200 wineries in its four viticultural areas. The Icewine, made from frozen varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Riesling and Vidal Blanc, is one of Canada’s most popular lines. The process of making this elegant and flavourful Icewine is strenuous. The grapes can only be cultivated in places that are below the freezing point and be left on the vine until a sustained -8 °C. The grapes are then carefully handpicked and must be processed while still frozen. Exquisite Icewine aside, the semi-desert conditions of inland British Columbia is also best known for its white wines. Novia Scotia and Quebec are other wine growing regions boasting over 40 grape varieties, with the most common being Sainte-Croix, Maréchal Foch and Frontenac for red; and Vidal, Seyval Blanc, L’Acadie Blanc for white. Dry and semi-dry fortified wines, fruit wines, sparkling wines and ice wines are some of the produce of these regions.

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