LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2020

Winemakers in Ontario tackle sustain­ ability with solar power, geothermal heating and cooling, and more—plus in 2017 they established an accredited certified-organic program. Ontario’s wineries are as creative as they are progressive when it comes to sustainability. In 2001, Frogpond Farm became the first certified organic winery in the province and, like other organic producers (including Karlo Estate, Sandbanks, Hidden Bench, Calamus, Reif, Flat Rock and Cave Spring), its wines are also vegan.    In 2008, Southbrook Vineyards gained organic certification and became Canada’s first biodynamic-certified vineyard. Its visitor centre uses half the energy of most comparably sized buildings and is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certified. Hinterbrook’s winery is 100-percent solar-powered, while the temperature of the winery and barrel cellar are maintained with geothermal heating and cooling.    Created in 2007, the Sustainable Winemaking Ontario program was expanded to become an accredited, certifiable program in 2017. Look for its logo (a green leaf with the words Sustainable Winemaking Ontario Certified) on bottles from the 13Ontario wineries that are fully certified. Local Harvest

BIG ECO

An icon of sustainable winemaking in Ontario, Malivoire’s lush, vibrant Chardon- nay is made using sustainable practices both in the vineyard and the winery, as well as by the principles of the Oregon-based Low Impact Viticulture and Enology

program (known as LIVE). Malivoire Chardonnay VQA VINTAGES 573147, $19.95

Stratus Vineyards

Ontariocraft wineries.calists current Certified Sustainable Winemaking Ontario brands.

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ON | STRATUSWINES.COM

The world’s first LEED-certified winery, Stratus Vineyards made a commitment to a sustainable vision on day one. All aspects of its operation—from the unique, pumpless wine-flow system (which reduces electricity consumption) to the geothermal wells that enable the cellar to maintain an ideal tem- perature—strive for minimal environmental impact.

STRATUS IMAGE BY MATTHEW PLEXMAN

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FOOD & DRINK SPRING 2020