The Ontario wine industry we know today is very young. Although wine has been made commercially in the province for a century and a half, Ontario really kicked into gear as a producer of quality wine only in the 1990s, during the world-wide revolution in wine.
Regions like California, New Zealand and Australia, which had mostly made mediocre wine (much of it fortified), moved up the quality scale, as did many parts of Europe like Spain, southern France, and southern Italy.
There were many reasons for this upswing in quality, but everywhere there were individuals who stood out as leaders. One of Ontario's pioneers was Paul Bosc Sr., the founder of the Château des Charmes winery in Niagara Peninsula. His history of accomplishments and contributions to Ontario wine was recognized in November when he was inducted into the Order of Canada.
The Bosc family migrated to Canada from Algeria, via France, in 1963. Paul Bosc Sr. ran a winery in Algeria until independence in 1962. Like many French nationals, he left Algeria and returned to France, but he soon brought his family to Canada. He first worked in the SAQ, then for 15 years was winemaker and head of research at Château Gai, which later became part of the Vincor empire. All the while, Mr. Bosc had the idea of starting his own winery, and in the late 1970s he bought land on St. David's Bench in Niagara and began planting vines.
At this time, Ontario wine was made almost entirely from indigenous grapes like Niagara and Catawba, or from hybrids like Baco Noir and Marechal Foch. What distinguished Paul Bosc Sr. was his belief that European vinifera varieties (the varieties we most often associate with wine now) would flourish in Niagara. He planted the first 100-per-cent vinifera vineyard in the region and was so far out in front that, by 1981, his vines represented a fifth of all vinifera vines in Ontario.
Not only was Mr. Bosc a pioneer in this respect, but he encouraged others to follow his lead, and mentored a number of vine-growers in the region. He even developed a clone of the Gamay variety. Noticing that one of his vines produced shoots that grew upright (droit, in French), he bred the plant and eventually was granted International Plant Breeder's Rights. His "Gamay Noir Droit" is the only vinifera clone to have been propagated in Canada.
Château des Charmes ("Charmes" refers to furrows made by a plow in cultivated ground) is now one of Niagara's larger wineries, and the distinctive château is a well-known part of the region's landscape. It's still very much a family business. Paul Bosc Sr. plays an active role, while his son, Paul-André, manages the winery and, until recently, his other son, Pierre-Jean, was winemaker.
The winery makes a wide range of wines, from sparkling to icewine, and is especially strong in Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir and Gamay — and Gamay Noir Droit, of course.
Four wines from Château des Charmes today, three from the vineyard named for Paul Bosc. Two are in some Vintages stores, and all are available from Château des Charmes stores at 407 Laurier Ave. W. and 1705 Merivale Rd.