Prince Edward County

Wine Appellations of Ontario

https://www.vqaontario.ca/Appellations/PrinceEdwardCounty

PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY APPELLATION

Officially identified in 2007 as a VQA appellation of origin, Prince Edward County is separated from the mainland by the Bay of Quinte at Belleville and is completely surrounded by the waters of Lake Ontario. The soils and microclimates of the County coupled with the all-pervading limestone base provide an ideal growing environment for cool-climate grapes such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This idyllic island setting is now home to over 40 wineries, a dozen craft breweries, fine restaurants, cheese producers, farmers’ markets and other local food purveyors dotted along the natural beauty of the County trails and beaches.

Terroir

Topography

The topopraphy of Prince Edward County is irregular with deep valleys digging into the broad flat Trenton limestone that is the foundation of this appellation. A gradual rise from north-east to south-west is crossed by a number of long east-west gentle ridges and occasionally steep rugged escarpments.

On the northern and eastern shorelines high rocky bluffs rise to an elevation of a hundred feet or more while the western shore has many inlets with sandy shores and large sand bars which define bodies of water such as West Lake and East Lake.

Prince Edward County is an appellation full of mesoclimates and terroir conditions that provide the basis for the distinct in the wines that are produced here

Soil

Soils throughout this appellation are mostly reddish-brown clay loam to sandy loam that overlay a limestone bedrock embedded with shale fragments. The stony surface and numerous rock and shale fragments within the soils allow water to drain into the limestone, which ensures good drainage of winter-melt and substantial root penetration for mature vines. This rocky soil also allows good heat conduction and retention and encourages early warming in the spring.

Climate

Most vineyards in this appellation are located in areas that receive maximum benefit from lake breezes. Prevailing southwesterly breezes travel steadily across the Bay of Quinte which moderate temperatures throughout the year and are especially beneficial during the warm summer months, keeping average temperatures around 22 degrees C., with pleasant cooling during the hotter days and keeping cool nights at bay.