Exploring the Influence of Wine in 19th Century Niagara

About the Collection

The Niagara region is a highly sought after tourist, and local, destination for the outstanding wines it produces. Whether it be for the exceptional terroir that adds that iconic touch of minerality, or our world renown ice wines, Niagara has earned its spot as one of the top wine countries in the world. With such a pristine reputation, however, it comes into question where these origins began, and how the process started. For that, we look back in time into the 19th century with the help of the Brock Archives & Special Collections, where the images for this exhibition are sourced.

As you will see throughout the collection of images, there are a handful of them detailing records of “Barnes Wines.” These images recount a commercial winery that opened in 1894 called, “The Ontario Grape Growing and Wine Manufacturing Company Limited,” later to be named “Barnes Wines Limited,” and was located in St. Catharines, Ontario (Barnes, 2021). The images surrounding Barnes Wines fonds that were collected include discussions of by-laws, patents, and audits surrounding this winery. These records are a direct source connecting back to the significance of wine in the Niagara region. Some images, however, are not so direct.

The images titled “Hedges & Butler Advertisement,” “The Vintage in France: Bordeaux and the Claret Districts,” and “The Vineyards of Champagne,” all have ties back to Europe, but their discussion on their influence within Niagara is important. Hedges & Butler were wine merchants to the Queen in London, England. Whilst Hedges & Butler dealt primarily with regions in London, such as The Strand, the importation of wine through merchants would have been imperative to the growth of wine to areas like Niagara (scotchwhiskey.com, 2021). In regard to “The Vintage in France: Bordeaux and the Claret Districts,” and “The Vineyards of Champagne” records, they recall specific regions in France wherein Bordeaux blends of wine and Champagne are created. What is important to note with these records, is that the Bordeaux and Champagne regions of France have legally protected these names from being used. Here in Niagara, we refer to Bordeaux blends as a Meritage, whilst we just refer to Champagne as sparkling wine. These creations implicitly suggest an influence of French wine making processes within the Niagara region. In addition to a more regional influence, wine was also largely appreciated by powerful figures throughout the world. We see this in the image of “Invoice to A. Hamilton from Mr. Thomas McCormick,” in which we see Alexander Hamilton’s purchase of wine. Due to the large-scale appreciation of wine, from the Queen of England, to Alexander Hamilton, it really is no wonder that the Niagara region wished to use its resources to grow wine.

Going back to looking at a couple sources related directly to Niagara, we have the “Orchards and Vineyards of Ontario, the premier province of Canada (1897)” and the “Illustration - “Grape Culture - A new Source of Canadian Wealth,” to consider. These two are interesting to pair together, as the illustration offers a visual approach to what the article on the orchards and vineyards of Ontario mentions. The article goes in depth on how the Niagara region oversees Canada’s greatest success at growing and importing fresh fruits. It even mentions how the Niagara region dedicated certain areas to “fruit experimentation sections,” in which one area fostered a multitude of fruits in order to determine which fruit best suited that particular area. This would no doubt pertain to the growing of grapes, in turn fostering the manufacturing of wine! With the illustration, it depicts people gathering the fruit as well as a scene from the vineyard. The title of the illustration implies the new success of wine in Niagara, calling it, “A new Source of Canadian Wealth.” Perhaps this new source of wealth could be attributed to the overall success Niagara has seen in fruit growing, as well as the vast testing done to ensure the best quality.

Placing these images within a larger context within the 19th century, we see the influx of new technology influencing the industrialization of the wine industry across the wide scale Niagara region in Ontario. This is no coincidence, considering how industrialization was a common occurrence all throughout the many regions of the world within the 19th century. We saw the stream of factories being built, along with mass production of different products. It is no surprise that the blooming of wine fell within this similar timeline, and that wine manufacturing bloomed, and continues to bloom, into the wide scale production that it is.

References

Barnes Wines : Canada’s Oldest Winery., n.d. Accessed November 4th, 2021. https://dr.library.brocku.ca/bitstream/handle/10464/3985/Barnes%20Wines%20Canada’s%20Oldest%20Winery%20flyer%20RG%20357.pdf?sequence=1

scotchwhiskey.com : Hedges and Butler Limited., 2021. Accessed November 20th, 2021. https://scotchwhisky.com/whiskypedia/3082/hedges-and-butler-limited/

All Credit For Images and Resources Go To:

Invoice to A.Hamilton from Mr. Thomas McCormick. Brock Archives & Special Collections, Alexander Hamilton Fonds, 1809-1842 RG 640

Annual Meeting September 1, 1898 and By-Law no.16. Brock Archives & Special Collections, Barnes Wines Fonds, 1873-1986 RG 427

By-Laws No.1 through 11. Brock Archives & Special Collections, Barnes Wines Fonds, 1873-1986 RG 427

Meeting 1 July 1881. Brock Archives & Special Collections, Barnes Wines Fonds, 1873-1986 RG 427

Hedges & Butler Advertisement. Brock Archives & Special Collections, Seagram Museum Collection RG 490

Orchards and Vineyards of Ontario, the premier province of Canada (1897). Brock Archives & Special Collections, Other Digitized Items

Letters Patent Incorporating The Ontario Grape Growing and Wine Manufacturing Company. Brock Archives & Special Collections, Barnes Wines Fonds, 1873-1986 RG 427

Illustration-“Grape Culture- A new Source of Canadian Wealth.” Brock Archives & Special Collections, Seagram Museum Collection RG 490

The Vineyards of Champagne. Brock Archives & Special Collections, Seagram Museum Collection RG 490

The Vintage in France: Bordeaux and the Claret District. Brock Archives & Special Collections, Seagram Museum Collection RG 490