Westcott Vineyards · Twenty Mile Bench · Ontario
2025 Harvest &
Vintage Report
Niagara Peninsula, Ontario · Record heat, exceptional fruit
The growing season was one of the most demanding and most rewarding in Westcott's history. A cooler spring, a relentlessly hot and dry summer, and a near-perfect fall combined to push the Twenty Mile Bench to its limits. This is the full picture.
Introduction
Written for Those Who Want to Go Deeper
A common question we hear in the Westcott tasting room is "how was the harvest, and what will the wines be like?" It is a question we love, because it tells us the person in front of us understands that wine is, above all else, a product of a specific year and a specific place.
This report is our answer. It is written for those who want to go deeper than the vintage chart: the winemakers, the collectors, the trade partners, and the curious regulars who want all the details. The short answer for 2025 is this: the growing season was one of the most demanding and most rewarding in Westcott's history.
Section 1
The 2025 Growing Season in the Niagara Peninsula
Spring · April to May
Winter 2024–25 was cold and dry, delivering excellent vine cold hardiness into spring. A brief false spring in mid-March alarmed growers when St. Catharines reached 22°C on March 16th, but temperatures snapped back sharply with ice storms ending the month. April and May brought genuine warmth by their closing weeks, though Lake Ontario's cooling breezes kept GDD accumulation modestly below the 2024 pace, a deliberate, frost-protective slow start typical of the appellation.
A late frost event at –1°C on May 16th underscored the need for patience. By month's end, bud break was complete, vine vigour was strong, and bud survival was high. April–May precipitation was slightly above average, providing good soil moisture heading into summer.
Summer · June to August
Summer 2025 was defined by extreme heat and acute drought: the most challenging combination of the season. A prolonged high-pressure heat dome settled over the Great Lakes from late June through early August, with temperatures consistently above 35°C and many sites receiving only one-third of their normal precipitation.
GDD accumulation through July was well above the ten-year mean. By month's end the Niagara Peninsula had logged an estimated 800–900 GDD (base 10°C), more than two-thirds of a typical full-season total. Heat and drought stress compressed berry size and reduced yields versus 2024, but concentrated sugars, phenolics, and flavour compounds significantly. The heat wave finally broke in the last week of August, allowing vines to reactivate and resume sugar accumulation ahead of harvest.
Fall · September to November
September delivered near-ideal ripening conditions: warm, dry days and cool nights producing steady GDD accumulation with minimal disease pressure. The summer drought had suppressed mildew, giving growers clean fruit and full scheduling flexibility. Brix built somewhat more slowly than 2024's record pace, a virtue that extended hang time and deepened flavour and phenolic maturity.
Harvest commenced around September 10th, five days later than 2024, consistent with the cool spring. October brought more rainfall, requiring careful timing for late reds, though the drought-thickened skins of 2025 gave late-harvested lots, particularly Cabernet Franc, excellent resilience. Snow arrived November 9th, effectively closing the regular harvest season.
VQA Ontario characterised the vintage as producing fruit with outstanding flavour, balance, and depth. The cumulative 2025 GDD total ranked among the highest in the modern record for the appellation, with more growing degree days, more sunshine, and less rain than any vintage from 2020 onwards.
Growing Degree Days · Twenty Mile Bench · 2020–2025
| Vintage | Est. GDD (Base 10°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ~1,150 | ~560 | Near average |
| 2021 | ~1,140 | ~590 | Cool, late season |
| 2022 | ~1,190 | ~510 | Warm summer |
| 2023 | ~1,210 | ~530 | Strong finish |
| 2024 | ~1,270 | ~490 | Record warm (prior) |
| 2025 | ~1,325 | ~420 | Record heat, record dry |
The combination of high GDD, low precipitation, and strong diurnal variation is the ideal formula for concentrated, aromatic, well-structured Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
— Westcott Vineyards Harvest Report, 2025Section 2
2025 Harvest Overview
The 2025 harvest commenced on September 10 with early-picked Pinot Noir for sparkling base wine and concluded in early November with late-harvested Cabernet Franc: a harvest window of nearly eight weeks across six varieties. Brix levels were excellent throughout, with individual lot readings ranging from 17.6°Bx (early Pinot Meunier for sparkling) to 25.0°Bx (late-harvested Cabernet Franc).
The season reinforced the vintage narrative: lower yields but outstanding ripeness and flavour concentration. The weighted average Brix of 22.4°Bx across all lots is among the highest in recent Westcott harvest records.
Section 3
Summary by Variety
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Pinot Noir was the dominant variety by volume, sourced entirely from Westcott's own estate vineyards. A weighted average Brix of 22.9°Bx is exceptional for the variety in Niagara, driven by the drought-induced concentration of 2025. The range from 19.4°Bx (early-pick sparkling base) to 24.0°Bx (late-pick lots) provides the full-spectrum fruit profile needed for a tiered programme from sparkling through reserve-level still wine.
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Chardonnay was the second-largest variety by volume in 2025, harvested across 17 lots. Most lots arrived at or above 22.0°Bx, consistent with the warm, concentrated vintage. The range of Brix (20.0–23.0°Bx) gives excellent blending latitude across sparkling base, unoaked, and barrel-fermented styles.
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Cabernet Franc delivered the most striking results of the vintage. Two lots received in early November achieved a weighted average Brix of 23.7°Bx, with the highest lot reaching 25.0°Bx: remarkable for the variety in Niagara and reflective of the cumulative heat and extended dry fall of 2025. This fruit has the potential to produce benchmark Cabernet Franc for Westcott.
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Riesling was received in two contrasting lots: an early low-Brix pick at 18.2°Bx in September and a late-harvest lot at 19.9°Bx in November. The stylistic divergence is intentional. Early-picked Riesling underpins dry, high-acid table wine styles, while the late-harvested lot with extended hang time may be destined for a select late-harvest expression.
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A single lot of Pinot Meunier was received in late September at 17.6°Bx. The deliberately low Brix preserves the natural acidity essential for a traditional-method sparkling base cuvée, adding blending complexity to the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay components.
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A single Gamay Noir lot received in mid-October at 23.3°Bx rounds out the 2025 harvest. The reading is on the high end for the variety in Niagara, signalling concentrated, intensely flavoured fruit well suited to a premium-tier bottling.
Section 4
Vintage Conclusions
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Record Heat Accumulation
At an estimated 1,310–1,340 GDD, the Twenty Mile Bench logged its highest seasonal heat total of the 2020–2025 window, approximately 11–14% above the long-term appellation average of ~1,170 GDD and ahead of the previously record-warm 2024 season (~1,270 GDD). This sustained heat drove full phenolic and sugar maturity across all six varieties.
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Exceptional Drought
Seasonal rainfall of approximately 420 mm was well below the 500–600 mm recorded in 2022–2024. Combined with 18+ days above 30°C, this suppressed berry size, concentrated skin-to-juice ratios, and dramatically reduced disease pressure, delivering clean, healthy fruit across every variety.
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Outstanding Ripeness
Weighted average Brix of 22.4°Bx across all lots is among the highest in recent Westcott harvest records, enabling full physiological maturity for both reds and whites. The near-12°C average diurnal shift, the widest of the 2020–2025 range, preserved acidity and aromatic freshness alongside the elevated sugar levels.
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Harvest Flexibility
The warm, dry fall allowed growers to pick on their schedule, optimising each lot for its intended wine style, from sparkling-grade early picks to premium reserve-level late picks.
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Reduced Yield, Exceptional Quality
Crop volumes were lower than recent vintages, consistent with the region-wide trend of smaller berry size and compressed cluster weights in drought years. Quality gains more than offset the volume reduction for a premium producer of Westcott's positioning.
1,325 GDD. 420 mm. 22.3°Bx. Clean fruit, dry summer, perfect fall. The Twenty Mile Bench in its element.— Westcott Vineyards · 2025 Harvest Report
