Quebec is the least likely of all wine regions in canada. The centre of the province’s small but enthusiastic winegrowing zone is the old town of Dunham. The wineries, for the most part strung out along the American border, have to battle the elements to produce wine for the tourist trade. The vines need time-consuming winter protection. Average sunshine hours during the growing season in Dunham are approximately 1,150 (in Burgundy they are 1,315; Niagara has 1,500, and the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia has 1,423). Despite relatively low temperatures, topographical features create highly localized warm spots that allow the hardiest vines to survive, if not flourish. The province had more than 115 cottage wineries by 2014, producing mainly white wines, mostly very fresh seyval blanc, Frontenac, Vandal-Cliché, Sainte-Croix, Vidal, Chardonnay, and Riesling, from a total of 647 ha/1,600 acres. There is no appellation system in Quebec, which makes some icewine but its speciality is Ice Cider.
