oops
 

Yep.

The reason some of the lakes do not freeze over (very easily) is that they are so deep. Erie is a relatively shallow lake, while Ontario is very deep. Ontario provides a tempering effect for the climate which helps the grapes, as do the finger lakes.

I was at a seminar on the Ontario wine areas last fall and found it fascinating.

A cruel winter everywhere? Ha!

It's an extremely mild winter over here. We have had about three snow storms, and for months our weather seems have to been bickering with itself whether it is Spring or Winter. The 'Spring' faction seems to be winning.

Oh, and having record snowfall does not necessarily correlate with record summer heat (at least not inversely). Last year our winter was extremely cold. Instead of our usual cycle of snow-slush-ice-gone and snow again (rinse lather and repeat repeat repeat), the snow just stayed. Even though we had minimal snowfall, there was more of it on the ground than usual because it just didn't melt. Last Summer was vastly warmer than usual, and it got to the degree that we (at least, most of my friends and I) just shut down were too heat-lethargic to get outside and do anything.