The stories of small winemakers in Niagara are endless and how they got to be where they are is as varied as the wines they choose to make.
Very few these days, however, are going whole hog into the wine business with grandiose plans for a gigantic, modern winery, a big brand with multi-tiers and hundreds of acres of estate fruit through myriad varieties.
There have been a few in recent years, Colaneri and Moray Tawse’s Redstone (which has yet to be built) come to mind, but the majority of new brands in Niagara have been of the small variety such as Bighead Wines, Rennie Vineyards (both of those virtual brands) and Di Profio Wines (which has built a small, tidy winery on estate vineyards).
For Andrew (above) and Christina Brooks, Niagara’s newest players in the wine game, their dream of owning a vineyard and making wine began nearly 15 years ago when Andrew was at the delightful River Café in Calgary.
A small vineyard owner had come in to talk to staff about wine as part of the education of staff.
“He spoke of his passion for wine, how he had attained a small parcel of land and started his little winery. We were immediately smitten,” says Andrew.
The wheels were set in motion at that very moment and the hunt began for the couple to “unplug from our lives and take the big leap.”
After travelling and assessing vineyards near and far, it was a 10-acre property in Niagara (where Christina grew up) between Vineland and Beamsville in the Lincoln-Lakeshore appellation that caught their eye.
As Andrew says now, it wasn’t pretty, but it had the potential to become everything they wanted.
The couple spent 10 years building a wine business, renovating the house and replanting the derelict 10-acre farm.
The Brooks run Crush on Niagara Wine Tours with several packages available for guests from touring around Niagara to more personalized wine adventures. They also have a guesthouse that can be rented and are now offering a vine to bottle experience with its Rootstock Wine Club that includes everything from hands-on programs such as winemaker for a day to barrels of wine branded for your own use or corporate functions.
The Brooks replanted the rundown vineyards on the property to Cabernet Franc, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 2008 and sells most of the grapes to Featherstone Vineyards.
Featherstone’s David Johnson, says Andrew, has been mentoring and guiding the couple with their plantings and newly added “virtual” wine project, called Back 10 Cellars, which just launched with their first Riesling.
Johnson has consulted on everything including clonal and rootstock selection, vine spacing soil preparation, control of weeds, mold pressure and pests in the vineyard.
The Big Reach Riesling 2012 has just been released through the Back 10 website, with only 105 cases available. The Cabernet Franc, called The Big Leap, will be released in October.
Here’s a review of the first wine produced from Niagara’s newest producer:
Back 10 Cellars The Big Reach Riesling 2012 ($25, online only, 89 points) — The northern edge of the Lincoln Lakeshore appellation producers low-yielding, small berries from Riesling vines. The nose is typical of the appellation, bight and zesty grapefruit and lime, white peach and underlying minerality. In the mouth, I love the taut tension and that wonderful tug of sweet and tart in the mouth that shows fresh lime, citrus, tangerine along a razor-sharp edge of acidity. A wine to watch as it reveals more of that subtle minerality. Great first effort.
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Niagara’s Magnotta Winery, which recently purchased the Kittling Ridge brand (but not the Forty Creek whiskey division), is the third largest winery in Ontario.
You won’t find the “Magnotta” label on LCBO shelves, due to a long-running dispute with government monopoly, but its premium line, called G. Marquis Vineyards, with nary a mention of Magnotta on the label, has found success through that channel.
It might surprise you to learn that Magnotta, under the leadership of Rossana Di Zio Magnotta, makes over 180 different wines for the marketplace.
The G. Marquis brand is quite small when compared to the larger Magnotta series of wines, and the focus is squarely on the Niagara-on-the-Lake vineyards and quality VQA winemaking.
Here are three Marquis wines now hitting the shelves at the LCBO:
G. Marquis Vineyards The Silver Line Chardonnay 2011 ($17, LCBO, 89 points) — A great effort here and providing some good value. The nose shows poached pear and minerals with apple, spice, vanilla cream and butter notes. It shows elegance on the palate with lovely toasted vanilla, charred oak, pear, apple butter and citrus zest that perks up the finish. Very nice, bring on the lobster!
G. Marquis Vineyards The Silver Line Pinot Noir 2011 ($20, LCBO, 88 points) — A perfumed nose with sandalwood, violets, black cherry, cassis and soft oak spices. The palate reveals cran-cherry fruit, savoury spice, silky tannins and a smooth delivery through the finish.
G. Marquis Vineyards Ice Rose The Silver Line NV ($30, LCBO, 89 points) — This traditionally made sparkler is a blend of 100% Pinot Noir (as the base) and a dosage of 100% Cabernet Franc icewine. The nose shows gorgeous toasty-yeasty notes to go with sweet raspberry, apple, violets, herbs and spice. The red fruits are delicious on the palate with added apple fruit, a touch of sweet herbs, a vibrant mousse and balancing acidity. A nice treat to serve as a classic aperitif.
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