By Rick VanSickle
Southwestern Ontario’s oldest winery will now be its newest, with the Skye Chase Estate Winery set to open its doors to the public this spring.
Also in this Ontario Wine Report: An amazing photo of thousands of birds devouring icewine grapes, plus Niagara wines released at various Vintages stores, including On Seven, Henry of Pelham and Back 10 Cellars.
Formerly called the Quai de Vin Estate Winery, Elgin County’s first estate winery with vineyards planted in 1970, the Quai family sold the 20-acre winery to Kyle MacDonald in 2023.
In late November of last year, the new Skye Chase winery celebrated a major milestone with a groundbreaking ceremony for its new building, a landmark project that will serve as the cornerstone of the estate. “As we turn the soil today, we’re not just breaking ground—we’re planting the seeds of something extraordinary,” said the winery’s VP of strategic development, Marco Di Cola, on behalf of MacDonald. “We cannot wait to welcome you back to experience our new facility, our wines, the views, and the unforgettable moments that await.”
The ground-breaking ceremony brought together key figures from Elgin County and St. Thomas, representatives from the Ontario Craft Wineries, Wine Country Ontario and other guests.
“We feel an incredible sense of gratitude and anticipation,” Di Cola said. “This development will be a sophisticated 4,000-square-foot venue that complements the natural environment. To bring this vision to life, Skye Chase Estate Winery has partnered with Trigon Construction Management, entrusting them with the building of this exceptional venue. Designed with meticulous attention to detail by Square Feet Design Group, Skye Chase Estate Winery will feature a stunning mezzanine, offering guests breathtaking views. Our venue will include a retail store, restaurant, Skye Chase lounge and will also feature a stunning mezzanine which will offer guests breathtaking views of the surrounding vineyard and forest.”
Scheduled to open in late spring, the addition will offer a selection of wines, culinary delights, and a space that reflects the charm of St. Thomas and the surrounding region, according to a news release.
With its opening this spring, Skye Chase Estate Winery, located at 45811 Fruit Ridge Line in St. Thomas, hopes to contribute significantly to the local economy and tourism, adding a vibrant venue that showcases this new emerging wine market.
The re-imaged winery “combines modern elegance with traditional charm, offering a range of premium wines and thoughtfully designed spaces for guests to enjoy. Our goal is simple, but audacious: create a winery that will establish Southwest Ontario as one of Canada’s celebrated wine regions.”
Wines in Niagara was able to get a taste of three of the new wines that are quietly available now through the new website here. The winemaking team is led by talented Ontario winemaker Jay Johnston (above), who has a proven track record at several Ontario wineries, including Hidden Bench, Flat Rock, Tawse, Stratus and others. His team has expanded the vineyards and dedicated their winemaking skills to focus on varietals ideally suited for the region’s unique terroir and climate, including hand harvested Rieslings, cool-climate Sauvignon Blancs, and bold Cabernets. Johnston also has a deep network of contacts in Niagara and Prince Edward County should the winery need to supplement estate grapes from Elgin County with sourced grapes from other regions.
A small portion of each of the eight wines (four whites, one rosé, and three reds) were bottled in November to have them ready for the holiday season. They were initially released and sold at the Merry Market in London over the holidays. More bottling took place over the past few weeks and are available on the website.
Here’s what Wines in Niagara liked from the current releases at Skye Chase, all sourced from Ontario vineyards and all VQA wines. It should be noted, full details of the wine program at Skye Chase are being kept relatively quiet until the official opening this spring.
Skye Chase Chardonnay Reserve 2023 ($45, 92 points) — This is a barrel fermented, barrel aged wine with profound saline and wet stone notes on the nose, suggesting a Niagara-sourced Chardonnay, followed by yellow apples, toasty vanilla, a touch of ripe tropical fruits, zesty citrus and fine oak spice. There’s a flinty/mineral edge on the palate with creamy richness, ripe mango, vanilla bean, toasty spices and lovely finesse and length through the lingering finish. Can cellar through 2030.
Skye Chase Rosé 2023 ($25, 90 points) — Hand harvested Cabernet Franc grapes are gently pressed to create this light pink rosé. The nose reveals ripe red berries, red currants, a splash of citrus and subtle spice notes, suggesting some aging in oak. It’s rounded on the palate with raspberries, strawberries, citrus, a touch of sweetness, herbs, plums and earthy/spicy notes on a vibrant finish.
Skye Chase Pinot Noir 2023 ($33, 91 points) — This Pinot, likely sourced from Niagara, was fermented on its skins for 28 days and aged in a blend of new and seasoned barrels. It shows a lighter shade of red in the glass but vivid aromas of Morello cherries, crunchy cranberries, red currants and light spice notes. It’s silky smooth on the palate with savoury/earthy nuances followed by ripe red berries, anise, charred cedar, toasty spices and a vibrant, long finish. Can cellar through 2030.
One for the birds
I wanted to publish this incredible photo that Jamie Slingerland, the director of viniculture at Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Pillitteri Estates Winery, took during the icewine harvest this winter.
“I just thought you may want to share this photo for anyone that complains about bird bangers, as I know you can appreciate what these creatures do to our icewine grape crop,” said Slingerland. “We completed harvest the first week of January but not before contending with the bird menace that destroys 1-2 tonnes of grapes per day.”
Slingerland said that it may end up being one of the smaller icewine grape crops in a decade. “The surplus grape crop of 2023 produced an amount larger than markets could absorb and the long crop that became short in 2024 resulted in a demand for all remaining grapes that were salvageable.”
Slingerland added that “if anyone ever complains about bird bangers in vineyards, this is an example of what we grape growers are up against. 10,000+ starlings at a time,” he said. “Our fields produced exceptional quality and quantity this year despite the formidable forces of nature. We really appreciate our good neighbors who tolerate these bangers until we can harvest our crops.”
Niagara wines arriving at Vintages
stores and online only Cellar Selections
A lot to digest here, with our picks of the Niagara wines released last Saturday at Vintages stores, what’s coming up Feb. 1 and the one and only Niagara release in the online Cellar Selection, now available for purchasing. Here’s what we can recommend …
January Vintages Cellar Selection
To order from this online only release, go here.
On Seven The Devotion Chardonnay 2020 ($58, 95 points) — The Devotion is a blend of Chardonnay from the finest barrels, the finest blocks, and the finest years from the On Seven Vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake. There is the note I wrote in my tasting pad that succinctly shows how I feel about this wine. It is below:
Now, I know that’s not helpful in any way, but that’s what my potty-mouth brain told my pen to write. I can’t argue with that, or be more expressive, although I will try. It has a profound nose of puréed pear, quince, hazelnuts, an integrated flinty/reductive note that I love, lingering spice, vanilla cream and still a certain saline freshness wafting from the glass. It’s powerful and broad on the palate with a creamy texture followed by fruits of pear and yellow apple, starfruit then bergamot, and lemon zest, toasted hazelnuts, some savoury notes, and elegant spices all framed in fresh salinity on a long, luxurious, and lifted finish. Just a gorgeous Chardonnay that will reward with 5+ years in the cellar.
Niagara wines at Vintages stores Feb. 1
Back 10 Cellars The Big Reach Riesling 2023 ($25, 90 points) — Back 10 has never wavered from its combination of 20 g/l of RS, 10 g/l of titratable acidity and 10% abv for its Riesling. “That’s our perfect recipe, off dry with lots of acid,” said co-owner Andrew Brooks. It’s laced with lime, grapefruit, peach and green apple with a nice saline edge on the nose. The citrus fruits are tangy on the palate, with any sweetness balanced by the vibrant acidity. Can cellar this through 2029.
Henry of Pelham The School House Cabernet Merlot 2020 ($28, 91 points) — The hits just keep on coming from the spectacular 2020 vintage. Here’s another late release red blend from Henry of Pelham’s Short Hill Bench vineyards. The wine is aged in French and American oak (30% new) for 10 months with extended bottle age. It has a vivid nose of black cherries, plums, anise, black currants, and rich spice notes with earthy undertones. The tannins are plush and plentiful with notes of black cherries, jammy raspberries, eucalypt, anise/fennel accents, subtle tar, and graphite with a lifted, long finish. You can age this for 7+ years.
Also released, but not reviewed by Wines in Niagara:
• Ridgepoint Sparking Rosé 2022 ($25)
• Lakeview Cabernet Franc Icewine 2022 ($35 for 200 mL)
• EastDell Black Label Gewurztraminer 2022 ($19)
• Lakeview Barrel Aged Chardonnay 2020 ($25)
• Hinterbrook Reserve Cabernet Franc 2017 ($50)
Niagara wines that arrived
at Vintages stores Saturday
Only a small release of Niagara wines is arriving at Vintages stores Saturday. Wines in Niagara has not reviewed any of these wines.
• Featherstone Jade Riesling 2023 ($25)
• Fogolar Picone Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2021 ($35,
• Southbrook Triomphe Organic Merlot 2019 ($28
• Stoney Ridge Small Lot Bucknall Vineyard Gamay Noir 2022 ($23)
• Thirty Bench Winemaker’s Blend Red 2020 ($25)
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