"In the belief that quality and value go hand-in-hand
Château des Charmes is dedicated to producing world-class wines in Canada, using only the finest grape varieties"

The Bosc Family

The story of Château des Charmes begins over five generations ago with a family that traces its roots to the Alsace region of France and the vineyards of French Algeria. Thousands of kilometers from its present day vineyards, Canada's outstanding winery, Château des Charmes, traces its beginnings.

In these foreign lands, the ancestors of Paul Bosc began a heritage of fine winemaking that would serve the Bosc family for generations to come. This tradition of excellence continues today in the vineyards of Niagara-on-the-Lake where Paul Bosc and his family carry on this rich heritage of meticulous vinification by harmonizing science and art.

A graduate of one of Europe's finest winemaking schools, the University of Burgundy at Dijon, Paul Bosc came to Canada from France in the 1960's. He brought the Old World tradition of winemaking to his new home and he grafted that knowledge and tradition to the soils of Niagara.

After studying the Niagara Peninsula for fifteen years, Paul Bosc concluded that the soil and climate of the area were ideal for fine wine production. Niagara's temperate microclimate provides 180-190 frost free growing days a year. Château des Charmes' vineyards are ideally positioned south of Lake Ontario and north of the Niagara Escarpment at 44 degrees latitude, allowing superb growing conditions. In fact, the Niagara Peninsula is further south than France's famous Burgundy region where Paul Bosc was educated and trained.

Since 1978, guided by great vision, passion and five generations of winegrowing experience, Paul has been committed to developing the best possible vineyard sites in order to produce wines that have become recognized as benchmarks in the Ontario wine industry.

Renowned British wine writer Hugh Johnson in his book Wine Companion has written: "Canada was discovered, in fine wine terms, in the 1970's when old fears and prejudices about which vines could survive were tossed aside. The formidable know-how that had been accumulating in new wine districts around the world provided answers to problems that had seemed insuperable. Paul Bosc became the first to plant a wholly vinifera vineyard. Award winning VQA estate wines include Icewine, late harvest riesling, an impressive range of both white and red varietals as well as méthode traditionnelle sparkling wines."

Paul is joined by his wife Andrée, his son, Paul-André and his wife Michèle who represent the sixth generation of winegrowing expertise. The Bosc family produces their award winning wines in a magnificently designed Château that is the jewel of the Niagara countryside. It alone speaks to the Boscs' determination to maintaining their winegrowing heritage.