Canada
History--red
Wine has been made in Canada since the mid 1800s, making it one of the more recent entries into the global wine market. Like the USA, Prohibition shut things down for over 40 years, and even after that there was a moratorium on the amount of winery licenses that were granted.
It wasn't really until the 1980s that things took off, when free trade was established with the USA, and the export of great Canadian wines gained a large market demand. Slowly but surely more wineries opened up (there are still only around 600 wineries in the whole country), and Canadian wine began to improve it's reputation.
Main regions--aromatic
British Columbia - the western outpost of wine for Canada, this region surrounds the city of Vancouver and has inland areas that offer growers a surprisingly temperate environment for the cultivation of high quality grapes. Still cool, it produces wines of great freshness and delicacy.
Ontario - the largest wine producing region in Canada, Ontario traces its history back to the mid 1800s for wine production. Located on roughly the same latitude as southern France, the southern parts of Ontario are ideal for grape growing, although humid summers and harsh winters can wreak havoc. Proximity to Toronto and thus the USA has increased its reputation amongst wine drinkers.
Main grapes--racy
Pinot Noir - still a minority in Canada, but certainly with huge potential. The cool climate ensures delicate wines of great finesse. Both the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, about a four-hour drive east of Vancouver, and the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario are hotspots for this grape.
Cabernet Franc - the most planted red variety in the country, and most often blended with other Cabernet friends for a Bordeaux blend. The single variety wines are great though, slightly less green than the Loire Valley, but still with tense acidity and lovely freshness.
Riesling - the cool climate of Canada lends itself wonderfully to the production of bright, fragrant Riesling, with plenty of citrus and floral characters. You can find totally dry wines and also some with residual sugar, in a more 'Germanic' style. Plenty of potential.
Specific wine styles--aromatic
Icewine - Icewine is a spectacular style of sweet wine, made using grapes that are partially frozen. What is freezing is the water in the grapes, so when pressed the level of natural sugar is proportionally higher due to lack of dilution. Canada produces more Icewine than anywhere else in the world (small amounts are made in Germany), and 90% of that comes from Ontario.
Fruit Wine - Canada is very cold, we all know that. That means that many parts of the country are actually unsuitable for the growing of wine-quality grapes. Ingenious growers and makers won't let a little thing like subzero temperatures stop them however! Fruit wine is a big thing in Canada - there are nearly 200 wineries producing fruit wine. Think stuff like peach, cherry and raspberry... don't knock it till you've tried it!