It’s a lousy time to be in the Niagara wine business. Just as new vineyards planted during the boom years were starting to bear decent fruit, the recession hit. The rainy 2008 and 2009 summers didn’t help matters: bulk-minded growers found they couldn’t sell their subpar product to increasingly competitive and discerning wineries. While the Ontario government came to the rescue in 2008, buying up $4 million worth of grapes, there was no such bailout last fall. Yet despite these dire conditions, VQA wine (made with 100 per cent Ontario grapes) is better than it’s ever been. And, over the past year, it was the largest growth category at the LCBO, rising 17.4 per cent, a stronger rate than even the cheap Argentine imports. What makes the stat more impressive is the fact that the LCBO doesn’t stock the majority of Ontario wines; if its selection were better, the rate could have been much higher.

I recently spent a week in Niagara tasting what was happening in the bottle. I focused on brave new wineries that opened during the recession, and those investing in expansion, or attempting to hang on by changing their winemakers—just as sports teams switch coaches. Many growers reduced crops by weeding out poor grapes (which was crucial during the wet harvest of 2008) or waited longer for the grapes to ripen. After the rainy, cold summer of 2009, some reds weren’t harvested until December—six weeks later than normal. As a result, I tasted some brilliant top-end whites and surprisingly rich reds still aging in barrel cellars. And I found a defiantly upbeat, even creative spirit among many vintners. Here are 10 wines that capture this new energy. You can order most on-line—or, better yet, plan a road trip.

Ravine Vineyard 2007 Reserve Red
$55 | St. David’s Bench | 91 points
Ravine’s slick new winery features a gourmet grocery by chefs Michael and Anna Olsen. From the fine 2007 vintage, Niagara veteran Peter Gamble has crafted some fantastic Bordeaux-style cab-merlot reds. Here, cab sauvignon anchors an exuberant wine that brims with cassis, vanilla, tobacco and flashy new oak mocha notes. ravinevineyards.com.

White

Cattail Creek 2008 Chardonnay
$14.95 | Four Mile Creek | 87 points
Since hiring Colin Ferguson, Cattail Creek has been ramping up the size and quality of its production. For this spicy wine, he blended 50 per cent chardonnay musqué (a floral muscat-like chardonnay clone) with barrel-aged chardonnay. Typical of the vintage, it has a juicy acidity. Vintages, March 6. LCBO 168039

Sue-Ann Staff Estate 2008 Pinot Grigio
$18 | Niagara Peninsula | 88 points
One of Ontario’s most respected wine­makers, Staff has opened the first winery on her fifth-generation family vineyard. This mild, young pinot grigio captures her fresh style with pure apple and pear notes and a seamless texture. staffwines.com.

Vignoble Rancourt 2008 Riesling
$16.80 | Niagara Peninsula | 88 points
Former Peninsula Ridge winemaker Jean-Pierre Colas is known for making vibrant whites. This slim and mouth-watering riesling is a prime example, full of stony, green apple and floral flavours. rancourtwinery.com.

Walker Hall 2008 Manor House Pinot Blanc
$22 | Niagara Peninsula | 89 points
Housed in an 18th-century shorefront manor, Walker Hall is an ambitious start-up with winemaking consultants from Slovenia and blueprints for a showpiece winery. Its grand plans, however, aren’t a pipe dream: this is Niagara’s best pinot blanc to date. With fresh white apple and vanilla flavours, it shows good depth in a crisp yet expansive style—reminiscent of a fine white from Italy’s Friuli region. walkerhallwinery.com.

Red

Alvento 2006 Aria Nebbiolo
$25.95 | Niagara Peninsula | 87 points
Having made wine in Tuscany for 17 years, Bruno and Elyane Moos moved to Niagara and planted nebbiolo, deciding the climate was similar to that of Piedmont, where nebbiolo makes famed barolo. This pale red shows the grape’s firm, tannic structure and lifted sour cherry, embellished with cedar, black pepper and licorice. It’s intense, slightly raw and sour-edged—like many Italian reds—with surprising length. Vintages, April 17. LCBO 167874

Creekside 2007 Undercurrent Sangiovese
$34.95 | Vinemount ridge | 91 points
This rare Ontario sangiovese will be a collector’s item, if you can get it when it’s released on April 23 at the winery. True to sangiovese’s Tuscan roots, it has piquant cran-currant, tomato, leather and dried-herb aromas. It’s smooth, juicy and richly fruited, with fine tannin and excellent length. Only 43 cases produced. Reserve (maximum four bottles) at 905-562‑0035, ext. 232.

Rosewood 2008 Pinot Noir
$20 | Twenty Mile Bench | 89 points
Rosewood’s 2007 Pinot Noir Reserve was a multiple award winner; this follow-up shows the same class, if less depth due to the vintage. It has bang-on purity with sour cherry, lightly seasoned with smoke and spice. It’s lightweight, smooth and elegant, with a flare of edgy sourness and tannin. Best 2011 to 2013. rosewoodwine.com.

Sparkling and Sweet Cornerstone

2008 Vidal Icewine
$39 | Niagara Peninsula | 93 points
Cornerstone, a quintessential old-school family winery, now makes more high-end products. This is a beautiful icewine at a fair price. With peach, mango, citrus and butter­scotch aromas, it’s thick and sweet but has riveting acidity. cornerstonewinery.com.

13th Street Cuvée Rosé 2006
$25 | Niagara Peninsula | 90 points
Sparkling is becoming 13th Street’s signature. Its elegant rosé has a soft salmon hue and equally subtle aromas of strawberry, cherry and toast. Light to medium bodied, with racy acidity. Vintages, March 20. LCBO 147504