Cool climate wines have been receiving a lot of attention over the last few years and with good reason. They are fresh, vibrant wines that pair exceptionally with a large variety of foods and are generally lower in alcohol than their warmer climate counterparts. A cool climate region such as Prince Edward County or Champagne have average growing season temperatures between 12ºC to 15ºC and 850-1389 growing degree days (GDD). Here in Prince Edward County, we fall firmly in this range with 1365 GDD on average and a cool growing season helped by our proximity to Lake Ontario, which prompts us to use viticultural practices such as hilling-up and burying vines or using geotextiles to help our vines survive our cold winters.
Common white cool-climate varieties include: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Gewürztraminer. White wines from cool-climates tend to be crisp and fresh, with low alcohol, lighter bodied, pronounced floral and mineral notes and loaded with bright citrus and orchard fruit. Their high acid and low alcohol makes these wines a perfect choice for lighter summer fare such as fresh oysters on the half shell or a summer salad with grilled chicken and fresh strawberries.
Common red cool-climate varieties include: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Gamay Noir, and St. Laurent. Red wines from cool-climates are light bodied with bright, crunchy red fruit with lively minerality and herbaceousness. Many of these wines are great for summer BBQ’s and can be served slightly chilled to add to their freshness. Our St.Laurent is perfect with smokey ribs while our Pinot Noir is an absolute delight with grilled salmon.
Hybrid grape varietals also play an important role in emerging and established cool-climate regions as they are bred and selected for their cold hardiness. For example, we grow two hybrids here at Harwood Estate Vineyards, Marquette and Frontenac Gris. Both varieties are extremely cold tolerant with both being cold hardy to below -30ºC. Being cold hardy, hybrids are able to be left unburied during the cold winter months, decreasing labour costs and allowing the soil to remain undisturbed. These cold hardy varieties are also pushing the boundaries of where grapevines can be grown for wine production including countries such as Norway, Sweden, and Belgium.
Here at Harwood Estate Vineyards, we are proud cool-climate wine producers and growers. It may not be the easiest of conditions in which to grow grapevines, but the stunning wines speak for themselves. Cool-climate wines, at their heart, speak to their terroir, like no other style of wine can. Coupled with our limestone soils, the cool-climate here in Prince Edward County is a recipe for world class wines. Come find out for yourself!