By Rick VanSickle
There are some big names in the Ontario wine industry changing winemaker jobs at Henry of Pelham, Ravine Vineyard and Colio Estate Winery in Lake Erie North Shore.
Veteran winemaker Lawrence Buhler, below, is making a return engagement to Colio, while Mathew Seguin is being promoted to head winemaker at Henry of Pelham, along with Vanessa Agbonwaneten who has been promoted to senior production winemaker. That’s Buhler, Agbonwaneten and Seguin in the very top photo.
Meanwhile, another veteran Ontario winemaker, Jay Johnston, is the new winemaker at Ravine Vineyard in St. Davids after departing the new Skye Chase Estate Winery in St. Thomas. No replacement has been announced at Skye Chase, which just reopened under new owners, a new name and rebranding this month.
President of Henry of Pelham, Paul Speck, told Wines in Niagara that he is “super excited to move (Seguin and Agbonwaneten) into these new roles at the Short Hills Bench winery. Speck also said he was happy for Buhler and his move back to Colio where he already owns property.
“Lawrence was fantastic to work with and really brought Matt and Vanessa’s skills up. we’re going to miss him.”
Seguin, above, is originally from Guelph and attended the University of Guelph for its hotel and food administration program. During his studies, he discovered a passion for wine which he decided to pursue by completing the winery and viticulture program at Niagara College. After graduation he worked in the cellars of several Niagara Region wineries as well as travelling to work in Nova Scotia and France. “This greatly enhanced his experience, knowledge and dedication to winemaking,” Henry of Pelham said. After returning to the Niagara Region, Seguin joined the winemaking team at Henry of Pelham in 2016.
Agbonwaneten comes from a small town in the Durham region. Her interest in science and plants led her to pursue the oenology and viticulture science degree at Brock University where she graduated in 2015. Throughout her education, Agbonwaneten worked harvests in California, Australia and Niagara gathering experience and knowledge along the way. She was hired to work in the cellars at Henry of Pelham in the spring of 2016 and joined the winemaking team in 2021. She leads Henry of Pelham’s extensive traditional method sparkling program and icewine productions.
Winemaker Buhler returns to Colio with a lot of notches in belt. Before being hired at Henry of Pelham in 2018, he previously made wine in the Okanagan Valley as the winemaker for ENCORE Vineyards’ winemaking operations, including the McWatters Collection, TIME Estate Winery, Evolve Cellars, and the winemaking group’s custom winemaking clients. Buhler’s impressive resume also includes stops at Peller Estates and Angels Gate in Niagara, Cape Mentelle in Australia and Colio with his first stint there. Buhler is a graduate of the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) at Brock University.
Jim Clark, president of the Lake Erie North Shore, Harrow-based Colio Estate Winery told Wines in Niagara that “we’re very excited to have Lawrence back on board. He’s a great talent.”
Clark said the decision to bring Buhler, who owns property in Lake Erie North Shore, back into the fold, is “always about making high-quality wines. At the end of the day, it’s up to Lawrence” to chart a new course for the direction winemaking takes at the LENS winery, which opened in 1980 and was one of the first wineries in the region granted a license since prohibition.
Buhler replaces former Colio winemaker Allison Christ, who was the winemaker for the past 12 years. There is no official word on where Christ moved to.
Johnston, above, joins an impressive list of former winemakers at Ravine, including Lydia Tomek, Marty Werner (also former GM), Peter Gamble and Ben Minaker.
Johnston should be a familiar name for most consumers who follow Ontario wines. His resume includes stops at the new Skye Chase Estate Winery in St. Thomas, Stratus, Tawse, Hidden Bench, Flat Rock Cellars, Organized Crime and others. Johnston is a respected winemaker and has made some of the finest wines in Ontario over the years.
“Our plan is to continue to refine what is already a strong portfolio and to keep highlighting the vineyard parcels based on their quality, potential and to make more-and-more smaller batches to give us a wide range of components to blend,” Johnston told Wines in Niagara.
Wines in Niagara will have much more on Johnston and Ravine in an upcoming post on Wines in Niagara as the popular winery has made numerous changes recently.
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