Our Story
Good idea
Orville Johnston dreamed of a thriving cranberry industry in Ontario with Muskoka at its centre. After meeting his wife-to-be June at McGill University, where he was studying agriculture and she was studying home economics, he bought land in Bala and began building their future. Their passion was for growing food, raising a family of four and making products with the fruit they grew. The idea for making wine, however, didn't begin to germinate until their oldest son, Murray was studying agriculture at University of Guelph. Murray was part of the awakening of the Ontario wine industry as he spent hours talking about grapes and wine with a friend who was working for Don Ziraldo as he got Iniskillin Winery started.
After university, Murray and his wife Wendy spent a lot of time visiting Niagara and watching the exciting growth of the wine region. Wendy had grown up hearing her grandmother tell stories about the family distillery, Gooderham and Worts. The craft of distilling always factinated her and led to a passion for wine and winemaking. After she became a certified sommelier, Murray and Wendy decided it was time for another exciting development in Ontario wine - the idea of using traditional methods to make wine from fruit native to their Muskoka home. Wendy used an inheritance from her Gooderham grandmother to begin this new venture. Now in its tenth year, Muskoka Lakes Winery continues to create new award winning wines, many of which are available throughout Ontario at the LCBO.
Wine for the New Millenium
Muskoka Lakes Winery was launched with the 2000 vintage of Cranberry Wine. This initial release was so well received, it sold out in 16 days. The following release of 2000 Cranberry Blueberry Wine sold out in just 4 days. Over the years, many other wines have been introduced, but Cranberry Wine and Cranberry Blueberry Wine continue to be best sellers.
Taste Muskoka!
The winery was named after the region because the Johnstons believe strongly in the idea of 'terroir' - that wine should express the land that produced it. Having been growers in Muskoka for half a century, the Johnstons wanted to create a product that reflected the rugged beauty of the region. Working only with fruit native to Muskoka, the winery now boasts a range of award winning wines from dry to dessert.
