Vidal

Vidal is a hardy white grape bred to survive Canadian winters, and it is the backbone of Ontario icewine.

Picked at the normal time it makes a dry or off-dry white tasting of grapefruit and pineapple. Left to freeze on the vine it becomes something thick, sweet and sharp with acid. Both styles sit on this page, so read the label before you pour.

Every bottle ships straight from the winery that made it.
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How Vidal Blanc came north for the cold

A French breeder developed Vidal Blanc in the 1930s, and it reached Canadian vineyards in the late 1940s. From there the frozen version follows one rule: temperature. Grapes have to stay on the vine into December, sometimes January, and can't be picked until it hits -8°C or colder. Then they're pressed while still frozen. The ice pulls pure water out of the grape and leaves the sugar and acid behind, concentrated. That concentration is why it takes roughly 3 kg of grapes to fill one 375 mL bottle. Riesling goes through the same freeze before it's picked, and it's the only other grape Canada leans on this hard for icewine.

What's in this collection

Most bottles here sit on the drier end of the scale, the biggest share of the grid by far. A smaller set pushes further. Sparkling and pét-nat pours sit alongside a skin-contact orange wine and a run of late-harvest bottles that land halfway between dry and full icewine. Full icewine comes from several producers across the grid, proof that Canada does not do this by half measures.

What food pairs well with a dry Vidal?

Roast chicken and fish tacos are safe bets. The acid in a dry Vidal cuts through richness the same way most crisp whites do, so anything with a squeeze of lime or lemon works too. It is not fancy, and that is the whole appeal.

What pairs well with icewine or late-harvest Vidal?

Butter tarts are the obvious classic match, no argument there. Blue cheese works well too, since a good icewine's sweetness balances the salt. Serve icewine well chilled, in a small glass, because a little goes a long way.

Where do these wines come from?

Most of the grapes grow in the Niagara Peninsula, with a real showing from a single Lake Erie North Shore producer. A few bottles reach in from Prince Edward County and BC's Okanagan Valley too.