Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh has been growing cranberries in Muskoka, Ontario since 1950. In 2001, the Johnston family founded Muskoka Lakes Winery on the idea of working with indigenous fruit (mostly cranberries and blueberries) to reflect the unique ‘terroir’ of their growing region. Cranberries are one of the few fruits native to Canada and are grown commercially in Quebec, B.C., Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario. Wines made from cranberries have proved gratifyingly popular, and Muskoka Lakes Winery has built their LCBO sales to be quite significant. They’ve also exported their wines to China, and are currently working to expand into the SAQ system. In 2014, the winery won a Premier’s Agri-Food Innovation Excellence Award for their White Cranberry Wine.
Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh & Muskoka Lakes Winery has also become a significant tourist attraction for the region. The daily Bog to Bottle discovery, where visitors follow cranberries on a guided journey from peat bog to award-winning wines, was designated a Canadian Signature Experience. In 2014, they were finalists as Ontario Tourism Innovators of the Year. In addition to tours, visitors can savour the wine and cheese patio, browse the one-of-a-kind wine and gift shop, hike or snowshoe on the year-round trials or enjoy GPS and kids adventures. The farm and winery is one of the few tourist attractions in the region that is open daily, year round.
With the help of their local CFDC, the Johnston family has built a successful winery not from European vitis vinifera grapes, but from fruit indigenous to Canada. They have also discovered how much people enjoy learning about and savouring this tart, Canadian gem.”
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