Pelee Island is located at the most southerly point in Canada, and lies about 25 kilometres off the mainland of southern Ontario on Lake Erie. Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, with the warmest surface temperature of the five lakes. Its moderating effect produces a temperate climate on the island, which has a longer growing season than any other wine region in Canada, often thirty days more than on the mainland.

Pelee Island has 400 acres under vine. It was the site of Canada’s first commercial winery, VinVilla, that began operations in 1866. More than a hundred years later, its vineyards of native grapes were replanted with Vitis vinifera vines.

For more information on this region, visit the Southwestern Ontario Vintners Association