Wineries & Cideries

The hills of Mulmur and the surrounding Dufferin County countryside have quietly become one of Ontario's most interesting craft beverage regions. The elevation, the well-drained soils, and the particular micro-climate created by the Niagara Escarpment provide conditions that ambitious producers have begun to explore with remarkable results.

The Terroir of the Hills

At first glance, Mulmur might seem an unlikely place for winemaking. The elevation — among the highest in southern Ontario — brings cold winters and a shorter growing season than the Niagara Peninsula or Prince Edward County. But these apparent challenges are precisely what make the region interesting.

Cool-climate viticulture is gaining recognition worldwide as a source of wines with distinctive character — higher acidity, greater complexity, and a finesse that warmer regions struggle to achieve. The same conditions that make Burgundy and Champagne great wine regions — cool temperatures, well-drained slopes, significant elevation — exist in the hills around Mulmur.

Hardy grape varieties suited to the climate, including Marquette, Frontenac, and cold-hardy hybrids developed specifically for northern growing conditions, are producing wines that challenge assumptions about what Ontario wine can be. These are not imitations of wines from warmer regions; they are expressions of this particular place, and they reward the curious palate.

Heritage Cider

If wine is the newcomer in these hills, cider is the native. Apple orchards have been part of the Mulmur landscape for as long as European settlement, and the township's old farmsteads still harbour trees planted a century or more ago — varieties selected not for the supermarket shelf but for flavour, complexity, and cider-making quality.

A new generation of cider makers has recognized the value of these heritage orchards. Working with varieties like Northern Spy, Russet, Ribston Pippin, and Snow apple, they are producing ciders that bear no resemblance to the mass-produced beverages that dominate the market. These are serious drinks — dry, complex, and as nuanced as good wine.

The best local ciders reflect their terroir as clearly as any wine. The altitude, the cold winters, and the specific soil conditions of the escarpment impart a mineral quality and a brightness that distinguishes them from ciders produced elsewhere in Ontario.

Craft Spirits & Brewing

The craft beverage scene extends beyond wine and cider. Small-batch distillers in the area are working with local grains to produce whisky, gin, and vodka that express the agricultural character of the region. Some use heritage grain varieties grown on nearby farms, creating a genuinely local spirit from field to glass.

Craft breweries in the broader Dufferin County area complement the offerings, with several producing styles that pair beautifully with the local food scene. The proximity of quality ingredients — spring water from the escarpment, locally malted barley, wild-foraged botanicals — gives these producers an advantage that shows in the finished product.

Visiting the Producers

The tasting experience in the Mulmur area is deliberately intimate. These are not large commercial operations with tour buses and gift shops. Most producers welcome visitors by appointment, offering personal tours and tastings conducted by the winemaker or cider maker themselves.

This intimacy is part of the appeal. You will not be shuffled through a production line or handed a menu of tasting flights by a server who has never been in the vineyard. Instead, you will likely stand in the barrel room with the person who made what you are tasting, hearing the story of that vintage, that harvest, that particular barrel.

The best approach is to choose two or three producers for a day's visit, allowing time between stops to enjoy the scenic drives that connect them. Combine your tastings with a stop at a local farm gate for cheese and charcuterie, and you have the makings of a memorable day in the countryside.

The Growing Season

Each season offers a different perspective on the craft beverage world. Spring sees the first signs of growth in the vineyards and orchards, and many producers host opening events. Summer is the season of growth and anticipation, with tasting rooms operating at their most open hours. Autumn brings harvest — the most exciting time, when the year's work culminates in the picking and pressing. Winter is quieter but no less interesting, as producers offer barrel tastings of developing wines and ciders.