Pelee Island Winery


Pelee Island Winery is a winery in Kingsville, Ontario, Canada. They have a vineyard in the Pelee Island appellation.
At just under 42 degrees North, Pelee Island is at a latitude similar to that of Rioja, Spain, Porto, Portugal, Provence, France, and Tuscany, Italy. It is Canada’s most southerly inhabited point, and has a longer growing season than any other wine region in Canada. The island, in Lake Erie, is 25 kilometres from the mainland. Harvest is early, with picking usually beginning at the end of August. Late-harvest grapes are often in by mid-October.

Controversy

According to Elections Ontario records, Pelee Island Winery president Walter Schmoranz donated $2,050 to the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario between February 2019 and July 2019.
His first donation of $1,050 was deposited on Feb. 26, 2019, while a second $1,000 donation was deposited on July 12, 2019.
Weeks later, on July 28, 2019, the Ontario PC party's taxpayer funded Ontario News Now posted videos on Facebook and Twitter encouraging residents to purchase wines from the Pelee Island Winery.
Ontarians took to Twitter to issue their concerns about what some viewed as Pelee Island Winery's Schmoranz buying a political ad in a “cash for access” scheme to get publicity.
Ford said he was unaware of any donations made by Schmoranz when the stop at Pelee Island Winery was made. The PC party refunded $450 of the donation made by Schmoranz, according to Elections Ontario regulations which limit the financial amount of contributions. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/pelee-island-winery-backlash-1.5229815

Grapes

The vineyards have grown Vitis vinifera grapes, including the following grape varieties:
The vineyards have also grown these hybrid varieties:
Pelee Island Winery produces a wide variety of grape wines, and may offer for sale as many as 15 white and 15 red wines, most of them bearing the VQA mark. The winery also offers blush, dessert, and ice wines.