Inniskillin strives to harvest the finest our vineyards have to offer by carefully analyzing soil and site conditions, hand selecting the optimum fruit of its mature vines and then winemaking and cellaring with the utmost care and attention. Niagara and the Okanagan are the two primary wine regions in Canada and are both regulated by the VQA, the Vintner’s Quality Alliance. The VQA symbol on a bottle of Canadian wine assures the wine consumer of quality production, content, varietal percentage, appellation, and vintage.

NIAGARA
The Niagara Wine region is coddled and protected in the shadow of the unique natural phenomenon known as the Niagara Escarpment, a massive, geological formation, which was declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 1990. Located at the southern tip of this 725-kilometre long ridge, the Niagara Peninsula is considered a cool climate viticulture region, as are wine regions such as Burgundy, Germany, Oregon, Tasmania and New Zealand. Winemakers believe that, in general, cool climate viticulture regions produce lighter, fruitier wines whereas hotter regions produce less fruity, heavier wines.

Niagara’s mineral-rich soils are the result of melting glaciers that left behind large and varied deposits of gravel, sand and clay, as they receded approximately 13,000 years ago. Thanks to the warming influence of Lake Ontario and the Niagara River, the region’s temperatures during the fruit-ripening phase are moderate and consistent. Wines from Niagara, along with most cooler climate regions are characteristically higher in acids and highly aromatic. These high acids result in wines with longer natural aging potential. In addition to our award winning Icewines, a wide range of classic cool weather varietals flourish at Inniskillin’s Niagara wineries: Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chardonnay, Vidal, Cabernet Franc, Gamay Noir and Pinot Grigio, just to name a few.

	Brae Burn Estate Brae Burn Estate, on which the winery is situated, is located on the Niagara Parkway just five minutes south of the historic town of Niagara-on-the-Lake and just twenty minutes north of Niagara Falls. The vineyard’s soils consist of clay-loam with glacial and alluvial deposits, ideally suited for the growing of Vitis vinifera varieties, such as Pinot Noir. In addition, vineyards of Riesling and Vidal grapes dedicated to the production of Icewine surround the winery. VQA Appellation: Niagara Peninsula VQA Sub-Appellation: Niagara River
	Seeger Vineyard One of the oldest producing vineyards in the region, this 120-acre allotment of premium vines was sold to the Seeger Family by Inniskillin in 1977. It was originally planted by Donald Ziraldo in 1974 as Inniskillin’s first vinifera vineyard. Located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the vineyard is influenced by both the Niagara River and Lake Ontario and features dominantly heavy clay soils and sand that allow for better natural drainage. This vineyard, which produces expressly for Inniskillin, is ideal for the proliferation of fruit to make rich, mature, full-bodied wines. Grapes grown are predominantly Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Gamay and Vidal. VQA Appellation: Niagara Peninsula VQA Sub-Appellation: Niagara River
	Schuele Vineyard Family-owned and operated by the Schuele Family, this 170 acre estate is an outstanding vineyard located in Vineland on the south shore of Lake Ontario growing primarily Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Vidal. One of the best maintained and manicured properties in the area, the Schuele Estate features light loam soils. Heavily influenced by the lake, with its warming effect in the fall and cooling impact in spring, the Estate produces fruit of a slightly delicate nature. VQA Appellation: Niagara Peninsula VQA Sub-Appellation: Lincoln Lakeshore
	Klose Vineyard Gerald Klose, owner and operator of his family's vineyard, has been Innskillin's own Vineyard Manager for twenty-two years. The Klose Vineyard consists of 15 acres of primarily Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon and is situated on line 2 near the winery, close to Lake Ontario and the Niagara River in Niagara-on-the-Lake. A unique attribute of this estate is its soil composition, which plays a key role in heat retention by extending warmth and adding ripeness to the fruit throughout the course of the growing season. VQA Appellation: Niagara Peninsula VQA Sub-Appellation: Niagara River
	Montague Estate Owned by Inniskillin and located inland in Niagara-on-the-Lake, mid-way between the south shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment, this 100-acre vineyard is characterized by heavy clay soils, which retain a steady balance of moisture and nutrients, and a warm inland influence that offers a tempered effect throughout the growing season. Grapes predominantly grown are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Pinot Grigio and Riesling. VQA Appellation: Niagara Peninsula VQA Sub-Appellation: Four Mile Creek