By Rick VanSickle
2022 is shaping up to be the year of new wines, wineries, wine brands and revamping of old brands in Ontario.
From large, showpiece wine estates, to super-secret projects, to new virtuals, small boutique wineries and garagistes … there’s a little of everything fermenting in Ontario Wine Country.
We already know about the two large wineries that have broken ground and could welcome guests this year — Stone Eagle Winery, the off-spring of Two Sisters, is being built on Niagara Stone Road, and AMO winery (above), being constructed on York Road in Niagara — but a wide variety of other wineries have recently opened or plan to this year, not the least of which is the sale of Lailey and emergence of the new high-end brand Stonebridge Vineyards (very top photo).
Here are a few on our radar:
Lailey Winery and Stonebridge Vineyards,
Niagara-on-the-Lake
You may not have heard of Faik Turkmen before, but you surely will in the months and years ahead. First, a little bit under the radar, he created Stonebridge Vineyards, an investment he made with a long-term view to grow high quality grapes and craft high end wines in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Consulting winemakers Peter Gamble and Ann Sperling are helping on the winemaking and vineyard strategy side, while Phil Clarke is the farm manager.
The 2017 and 2018 wines are just being released now, all made from low-yielding grapes and with minimum intervention and long barrel and bottle aging to produce, “what we believe, are very interesting and rich wines reflecting the land,” Turkmen says. The wines range from three bottlings of Chardonnay ($48 to $110), Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and red blends.
Turkmen then needed a sales channel to sell his wines beyond the LCBO, which he says does not favour higher end VQA wines, and his search led to Lailey Winery, a historic Niagara-on-the-Lake winery with roots as grape growers since 1973 and made famous by winemaker Derek Barnett (now owner of Meldville wines and the winemaker at Karlo Estate).
Last October, Turkmen finalized the deal and purchased Lailey from John Chang and wife Allison Lu, along with all vineyard assets, and now has a location to make and retail both his brands. Gamble and Sperling are involved in both projects
“What we are focused on with Stonebridge project and what Lailey was and delivered under Lailey family and Derek Barnett are so similar — we felt we could make an easy transition,” Turkmen says. The team harvested what it could from the 2021 harvest at Lailey and plans to make four single-variety rosés and an Orange wine. In the meantime, the team is working on certain upgrades to the production facility and retail shop. Turkmen feels it’s his “obligation to keep the ball rolling and keep the business open during the transition.” The retail store is open Friday to Sunday.
To learn more about Stonebridge, go here.
To learn more about Lailey, go here.
Last House Vineyard, Prince Edward County
The owners, Andre Gagne and Debra Mathews, established this family-run farm winery five years ago and the first wines are just being released. The focus is on small-lot County Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (but not confined to). Mathews is a former reporter and producer with CBC, while Gagne holds an MBA from The Schulich School of Business and works as an executive with Metro Inc. He also was a home winemaker for many years, buying fruit from Thirty Bench and Lailey Vineyard. To learn more, go here.
Kirby Estate Wines, Niagara-on-the-Lake
I tried a bottle of Merlot from this upcoming winery around Christmas time at a going away party for former Adamo winemaker Shauna White. I was impressed with how elegant it was. We had set up a tasting before the last COVID lock down and have yet to get there due to protocols. The focus is on boutique Merlot and Chardonnay from estate grapes, which they also sell. A small winery is planned. You can check here at BarBea Wine Shop in Niagara-on-the-Lake, they might have some in stock.
King + Victoria, Twenty Mile Bench
King + Victoria might be more familiar to savvy wine lovers for its estate Hanck Vineyard, which is referenced on the labels of both Bachelder and Cloudsley wines. Now that the Twenty Mile Bench vineyard is producing some fine grapes, the team is focused on building a winery. With permits in place and a site on the property chosen, King + Victoria plans on breaking ground when the weather allows. New wines will follow under the King + Victoria label, but we don’t know the timeline. You can follow their journey here.
Ours & Yours Wines
This is an independent virtual winery crafting micro-batch single vineyard wines showcasing the terroir of the Niagara Peninsula. The 2020 Riesling is the first wine being released with a Small Batch Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 coming this fall. To learn more, go here.
Commisso Estate Winery, Beamsville
Commisso Estate Winery is in the Twenty Valley in the heart of wine country. The property includes an estate vineyard to that showcases a wide array of eclectic small-batch wines with an Italian flare. To learn more, go here.
Black Bank Hill Winery, Beamsville
The man behind the brand is Taylor Emerson, who purchased a prime property just beneath the Beamsville Bench and has painstakingly nurtured both the young vines and his business plans. The first wines, made by winemaker Jonathan McLean, were released last year. The 2019s are now available through Archive Wine and Spirits Merchants here and feature Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The first crop from the estate vineyard was harvested in 2020.
180 Estate Winery, Jordan
The new owners of the Di Profio winery in Jordan have rebranded the winery into 180 Wines. They grow 11 varieties over ten acres as one of the smallest wineries in Ontario. The focus is on small-batch wines using sustainable viticulture practices. To learn more, go here.
Super-secret sparkling project
And here’s one NOT to tell you about, because that would break a confidence I agreed to until I get the green light. It’s an all-sparkling project with traditionally made bubbles dating back to 2013 made by a proven winemaker. We should see the first vintage of sparkling wines from this exciting Niagara winery later this year, and I can tell you, there is plenty of excitement over Niagara’s first sparkling-focused winery.
And that brings us to our last two now wineries, both of which we have reviews for.
Urban Tractor Farm, Vinemount Ridge
One of the newest wineries in Niagara, Urban Tractor Farm, is described as a “fledgling micro winery” carved out of the Vinemount Ridge sub-appellation.
Gord and Paula Maretzki purchased their Beamsville farm in 2009, moving from the big city for the simpler life. Then began the hard work of restoring and rejuvenating the neglected acreage back to vibrant ecologically balanced farmland. The systematic work of rebuilding the soil through restorative farming practices has resulted in an excellent site to plant cool climate grape varietals.
In 2018, the first blocks of vines were planted, a block of Seyval Blanc and a block of Baco Noir. The first vintages bottled for sale are Marechal Foch (from sourced fruit) and an estate Riesling-Seyval Blanc blend partially from the first harvest in 2020.
From the 2021 harvest, the couple harvested Gewurztraminer, Baco Noir, Cabernet Franc, more Foch, and a very limited run of Seyval Blanc.
Along with the estate-grown fruit, the Maretzkis have partnered partner with small, local growers who focus on varietals that do well in the Niagara climate.
Gord Maretzki describes his winemaking style as “postmodern; bringing out the best in varietal and overall terroir whilst seeking harmony between the ancient ways and modern sustainable practices.”
The two wines available can be purchased here.
Here’s what I tasted and liked from Urban Tractor:
Urban Tractor Farm Riesling Seyval Blanc ($22, 89 points) — This has an attractive and floral nose with grapefruit, lime, apricot and peach notes. It’s tangy and fresh on the palate and shows zesty citrus, green apple, fresh peach with a juicy, vibrant finish. It’s a lovely dry white blend that would pair perfectly with oysters on the half shell or light summer fare. It is labeled as a non-vintage wine because the Riesling is from 2019 (two thirds of the blend) and the Seyval Blanc is from 2020 (one third of the blend).
Urban Tractor Farm Maréchal Foch 2020 ($26, 88 points) — This personable red wine was aged in neutral French oak barrels and was finished unfined and unfiltered. It shows a dense garnet colour in the glass with a complex nose of dark plums, ripe cherries, violets, cassis, fresh tobacco, mulled herbs and savoury spice notes. It’s thick and rich on the palate with dark cherries, herbs, smoky undertones, anise/licorice, leather, mocha, toasted vanilla bean and spice with a vibrant core of juicy acidity. Pair with grilled red meats or robust aged cheeses. Can cellar 5+ years.
Horseshoe Cellars, virtual winery
This little virtual Niagara Riesling project, owned and operated by friends John-Daniel Steele and Scott Woody, is still waiting for the green light to get their wines to consumers. Various snags still stand in their way, and as a huge Riesling fan, I’m pulling for these wines to become available to consumers very soon.
This is the second vintage I’ve tasted, and I’m convinced Riesling lovers will be impressed with their style of terroir-driven Rieslings.
The duo has produced three vintages so far, but they can only be enjoyed by friends and family while they await licence approval. Wines In Niagara previously tasted two of the finished Rieslings from 2019 — a single vineyard wine from Wismer’s Foxcroft Vineyard on the Twenty Mile Bench, and a reserve bottling from a blend of two vineyards (Stouck Vineyard in Lincoln Lakeshore and Henry of Pelham on the Short Hills Bench). I’m impressed with where this project is going and really like the fact that another Ontario winery (hello, Charles Baker!) has decided to focus on just Riesling and explore where you can go with it.
I recently tasted the first wine from the 2020 vintage, and here are my notes. To follow the Horseshoe adventure and for updates go to @Horseshoecellarswine on Instagram.
Horseshoe Cellars Reserve Riesling 2020 (93 points) — A pure, pristine and mineral-laden nose with crushed seashells, lemon peel, green apple and peach skin. The sharp acidity keeps the 27 g/l of RS in check and accentuates the grapefruit, lemon meringue, bin apples, saline minerality and a racy, electric finish. This top-drawer Riesling will age beautifully. The Riesling blend is of three vineyards, two on either side of Lincoln lakeshore and one from the Short Hills Bench.
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