Hidden Bench Estate Winery

Beamsville Bench , Canada

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About Hidden Bench Estate Winery

Founded in 2003, Hidden Bench is an artisanal, estate winery situated in the heart of the Beamsville Bench sub-appellation of Niagara. This boutique winery whose mantra is “Sustainability, Terroir, Technology and Passion” has established a reputation for excellence both domestically and internationally due to the consistent benchmark quality of its wines. Reputed for its forward thinking use of environmentally sustainable practices as well as the superb quality of its wines, Hidden Bench farms its low yield vineyards (<2 tonnes /acre 35hL/hectare) using organic practices, employs geothermal technology to control cellar and wine process temperatures and was the first Ontario winery to generate its own electricity through 105 solar panels.

“Grown , produced and bottled by Hidden Bench” proudly appears on every bottle of Hidden Bench wine , as it’s one of only a handful of Ontario wineries that continues to make wine exclusively with organically certified fruit that has been grown on its estate vineyards. The raison d’être of Hidden Bench is the ancient limestone rich glacial moraine soils of the Beamsville Bench which permit the Hidden Bench team to craft complex, benchmark Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling with passionately focused attention to detail from the vineyard to the bottle. The unique climatic conditions and limestone/clay/ silt soils of the Beamsville Bench continually inspire the Hidden Bench winemaking team to use traditional, gentle and minimal intervention winemaking techniques to produce both estate blends and single vineyard wines which are truly reflective of their unique terroir.

Representative Biography

Alex Baines, Winemaker

Alex joined the Hidden Bench team as the Assistant Winemaker in January 2017 after completing the Winemaking and Viticulture program at Niagara College and was promoted to Winemaker in March of 2022. Originally from Finchingfield in Essex County, England he has 10 vintages of experience at premium producers in California, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. The small quality focused team at HB and the multifaceted responsibilities is what originally attracted Alex to join our small winery team. Alex has a keen interest in Organic and Biodynamic viniculture and above all the attention to detail required to craft exceptional low- intervention wines. When not in the cellar Alex enjoys being active hiking the Bench or playing soccer a couple of times a week year round.

Harald Thiel, Vigneron & Proprietor
Since he was a young man Harald has had the dream of owning a premium quality artisanal winery. In 2003, after a successful business career in the audiovisual industry, he and his family founded Hidden Bench Estate Winery with the goal of producing premium quality estate grown wines, which Canadians could serve with pride side by side with the best wines in the world. As a hands-on fully engaged owner he is actively involved in the day to day operations of the winery from vineyard to bottle and provides the winery its strategic direction and focus. A passionate foodie and wine consumer, he is also one of the founders of the Upper Canada Cheese Company and the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Festival. A strong believer in giving back, he sits on a number of not–for–profit boards, is the current Chair of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and has spearheaded a number of local environmental causes to protect the Beamsville Bench area. In his spare time Harald loves to read, cook, fly fish and ski.

Alex Baines, Assistant Winemaker
In January of 2017 Alex joined our team after having completed his degree at Niagara College in Viticulture and Winemaking. Originally from Finchingfield in Essex County, England he has completed more than 10 vintages at different premium producers in California, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. The small quality focused team at HB and the multifaceted responsibilities is what attracted Alex to join our small winery team. Alex has a keen interest in organic and biodynamic viniculture and will be a key assist to our viticulture team in the ongoing implementation of our biodynamic programme. When not in the cellar Alex enjoys being active hiking the Bench or playing soccer a couple of times a week year round.

Why We're Cool

The mitigating factors which contribute to the success of Hidden Bench Chardonnay program are the following: We use 100% estate grown, organically certified fruit from our three vineyards. Locust Lane, Felseck and Rosomel.

All of the fruit is hand-picked, sorted and whole bunch pressed to yield the most pure juice. We use non-interventionist winemaking methods including barrel fermentation with indigenous yeasts and naturally occurring malolactic fermentation which adds to the richness and complexity of the wines.

The Grange of Prince Edward

Prince Edward County, Canada

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About The Grange of Prince Edward

Since its establishment in 2002, The Grange of Prince Edward Winery has become a cherished part of Ontario's vibrant winemaking landscape. Spanning 135 acres in Hillier, Ontario, Canada, the winery hospitality destination encompasses some of the most significant vineyard plantings in the region, with over 40 acres under vine planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Gamay and Cabernet Franc.

Apart from producing exceptional low-intervention wines that showcase the unique terroir of the area, The Grange is committed to offering a culinary experience centered around locally sourced farm-to-table ingredients. Visitors to the estate can enjoy wine tastings, explore the charming 200-year-old barn and grounds, and indulge in bespoke experiences such as private tours, dinners, weddings, and special events.

Since 2021, under the guidance of President and CEO Michael Leskovec and the unwavering support of co-founder Robert Cudney and Northfield Capital of Toronto, Ontario, the Grange team has embarked on an exciting journey of vineyard rejuvenation and a comprehensive revamp of the winemaking program. With the expertise of viticulturist Mike Peddlesden and winemaker Jonas Newman at the helm, the team has poured their passion and dedication into elevating the quality of both the vineyards and the wines.
Their unwavering commitment and tireless efforts have been instrumental in shaping the remarkable transformation of The Grange. Marlise Ponzo, the Grange’s Sommelier and VP of Sales and Events, orchestrates the seamless execution of memorable events, while Chef Paul Tobias takes charge of the culinary program, creating a thoughtful and enticing menu where guests can savor the finest flavors and indulge in the artistry of The Grange’s wines

Representative Biography

Jonas Newman, Winemaker

At 18 years old Jonas began his adventure in the wine world working in a few of Toronto’s fine dining establishments. In 2003 he met his business and life partner Vicki Samaras and they together bought their first property in Prince Edward County, planting their first vines in 2005. While waiting for the vineyards to mature he apprentice at two Niagara based wineries Daniel Lenko and Thirteenth Street. The first vintage of Hinterland Wine Co, Vicki and Jonas’ winery, was in 2007. In 2008 they decided to focus exclusively on sparkling wine have been producing some of Canada’s finest ever since. In 2020 With Hinterland fully established and running smoothly, Jonas went looking for new adventures, consulting at various wineries around Ontario. In fall of 2022, Jonas landed at the Grange Winery just in time for the vintage! He is thrilled to have joined an amazing team there and is looking forward to many more years as winemaker.
When not in the cellars, you’ll find Jonas hanging out with his family, somewhere on the water or in the woods.
Winemaker Quote: “The oldest vineyard in the County is probably 25 years old, so we’re constantly discovering. We’re also growing grapes on the knife’s edge in terms of what can ripen, so the attention to detail has to be so high. There’s constant innovation. I think that kind of growing produces wines that have energy and are exciting to drink. Here at The Grange we have some of the oldest vineyards in the County, some of the blocks are over 23 years old and I
think they are starting to really show what these soils can do. Especially our Chardonnay, which can show 'sense of place' more than any other varietal, in my opinion. Chardonnay loves the County."

Why We're Cool

From our winemaker: "Winemaking is hands off as a general rule - really believe we are on special soils with a special vineyard - French barrels for the most part ( a bit of Austrian lately) - barrel ferments and really trying to express minerality over power.
Searching for the balance at all times!" Jonas Newman

From our Viticulturist: "We use Chardonnay Clone 95 in Northfield Block (3.3 acres) and Chardonnay Clone 76 in Victoria Block (4.1 acres)
We are on latitude 44 degrees (same as Bordeaux). Our soils here are Hillier Clay Loam with a depth of 1 metre. Clay soils with calcareous limestone.
Our vineyards are located 6.5 km from Lake Ontario. Both clones ripen around the same time (typically the first week of October." Mike Peddlesden

Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery

Creek Shores, Niagara, Canada

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About Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery

Wending Home takes a slow path, as the name suggests - towards home. The added meaning in Cantonese (Wēn文, Dīng 丁) is illustrated by our traditional stamp, to aspire to be the best. These two meanings are blended into a mission: To offer our friends the best that we can, crafting terroir-focused wines, slowly with a whimsical heart.

With a 50 acre estate and 23 acre estate vineyard, Wending Home primarily produces Estate wines and blends, although we reach out to other local Niagara grape growers for premium grapes used in some of our 100% Niagara Ontario wines.

Ron Giesbrecht, veteran Niagara winemaker, wine educator and homegrown supporter of the grape and wine industry in Niagara for over 40 years has partnered with Ying Feng who with her husband and family run the vineyard, lives on the estate and calls this land their new home.

Representative Biography

Ron Giesbrecht, Winemaker & Bonnie Milana, Wine Club & Licensee Manager

Ron Giesbrecht has been in the Niagara wine scene for a while - and he has no plans on leaving anytime soon. Growing up in the Niagara Region near Vineland, he has always been surrounded by the many orchards, vineyards and fields of the area. His love of food, fruit and science led him to receiving a degree in Biology from the University of Waterloo and a master’s degree in Food Science (specializing in Oenology) from the University of Guelph.

Right from the gate, he gained experience at various pioneering institutions of the Niagara wine scene, such as Bright's, but settled into his technique and embraced his experimental inklings at Henry of Pelham for 23 years. Nicknamed ‘Papa Baco’ during his highly respectable tenure at Henry of Pelham for embracing and showcasing the often overlooked Baco Noir grape at the time, Giesbrecht helped make this a stand-alone wine varietal common in the Niagara region. Looking for more challenges, he moved to Niagara College as a wine and viticulture professor, where he taught for an additional 9 years. Retiring only from teaching in 2022, he is focusing now on this new adventure, Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery with co-owner Ying Feng, a previous student of his.

Ron is using his vast experience and knowledge as a backdrop to many of the wines being produced at Wending Home, but his constant thirst for knowledge always ensures that there are some tricks and surprises up his sleeve.
Cool Climate Quote: “I have loved Niagara Cool Climate Chardonnay since I was first introduced to the wines - especially those made from early Niagara plantings that go back to the 1950’s such as Lenko and Lenart. It’s the pure vibrancy of fruit, acidity and that stoney, mineral spine. As a winemaker I love the expansive palette it allows me to explore, which is why I have, for decades now, described Chardonnay as the chicken of the vineyard. It allows me to shape the wine with traditional techniques that add flavour and texture while maintaining a strong link to the site and the terroir.”

Bonnie Milana
With a proven track record of delivering exceptional customer service as the wine club and store manager at Rockway Vineyards for over 4 years, Bonnie has joined the Wending Home family to showcase its amazing wines to a larger clientele. Continuously demonstrating her understanding and appreciation of wines, Bonnie Milana is committed to ensuring guests have a welcoming and educational experience here at Wending Home Winery. Bonnie’s vision for the wine club has always been to build a community of friends that come together to enjoy fellowship, alongside wonderful wine and cuisine. She brings her warm personality and depth of knowledge to every tasting, and elevates any experience to ensure it will be remembered!

Cool Climate Quote: “For me, cool-climate Chardonnay’s are my favourite white wine. How it transitions in the glass as it opens up and showcases the vibrant acidity, and the perfect harmony of well balanced fruit. These Chardonnay’s are refreshing and yet filled with layers of complexity.”

Why We're Cool

Located in the VQA sub-appellation of Creek Shores, Wending Home’s 23 acre estate vineyards contain 11 different varietals. Ehrenfelser, Auxerrois, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Chardonnay on the white side, and Cabernet Franc, Dornfelder, Gamay and Lemberger for the reds. This variety is a playground for a winemaker who loves to explore and experiment, and embrace what the terroir has to offer.

The VQA sub-appellation of Creek Shores is moderated by the huge mass of Lake Ontario waters, but it is also rich in other waterways that spill down the limestone edge of the Niagara Escarpment. We are between the Fifteen and the Sixteen mile creeks with air flowing down the gentle inclines north towards Lake Ontario, and to the east and west we have the valleys of the creeks that also afford air drainage. Therefore, our temperatures are well moderated with gradual spring warming and bud break. With around 1500 heat units and just over 200 frost-free days, we are situated to easily ripen most cool climate grape varieties, but with a lick of coolness to temper and give definition to the grapes that we grow.

Niagara makes great Chardonnays, and it is truly a gift given to wineries to share what they can produce with these grapes. And there are winemaking methods that allow for such diverse variations, which can be showcased with Wending Home’s Chardonnay. Our winemaker uses primarily used French oak barrels (no more than 20% new), and embraces the longer and cooler barrel fermentation with full malo-lactic fermentation. Wending Home is known for taking its time, and this is showcased in our Chardonnay, which has a long and restful 10-18 months on lees, in barrel.

Kew Vineyards

Beamsville Bench, Canada

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About Kew Vineyards

Kew Vineyards is a boutique winery located along the celebrated Beamsville Bench. The winery is home to an 80 acre vineyard with plantings dating back to the 1970’s.

The winery boutique is located inside the 140 year old Kew Family home which was built by William Kew, a prominent business owner in Beamsville. The Kew Family called this historic estate home right up until the late 1960’s at which time it was sold to start it’s new life as a premium vineyard.

The winery as we know it today, opened 10 years ago with the sole purpose of producing small batch, high quality wines with an emphasis on sparkling. Our unique climate is perfect for producing rich and vibrant traditional method sparkling.

Representative Biography

Philip Brown, Winemaker

Phillip grew up in Campbellville, ON, an agricultural community nestled in the Niagara Escarpment and surrounded by conservation areas. Growing up, his father worked in the restaurant industry with a focus on wine and food pairings. It was customary to have meals accompanied by quality wines, that Phillip would occasionally be given an opportunity to smell (and sometimes taste). His father’s passion for wine and extensive cellar nurtured Phillip’s curiosity, and that curiosity grew to a strong desire to understand more about the world of wine.
Before the age of 19, Phillip joined Niagara College’s Winery and Viticulture Technician program. In 2010, he was introduced to the Arterra family (previously known as Vincor) when his work/study program placed him at Inniskillin Estate as a cellar hand. The following Summer, Phillip worked in Prince Edward County at Stanners Vineyard, a small organic winery, where the Winemaker and owner mentored him through his methods and practices in organic, minimal intervention winemaking.
In 2015, Phillip made the leap from a small to large-scale winery when he moved to New Zealand and worked at Drylands winery in Rapaura, a subregion of Marlborough. Here, Phillip managed a team in the cellar through an intensive harvest, seeing roughly 2,400 tonnes of fruit a day.
His passion and hard work led him to twelve years at Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate, with two of those as Estate Winemaker. His appointment with Kew Vineyards is the perfect fit as he takes his expertise in sparkling winemaking with him. In Niagara, Phillip has fallen in love with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These multifaceted varietals make crisp and vibrant traditional method sparkling wines, as well deeply complex and nuanced table wines that are a beautiful expression of Niagara’s terroir. “I also must shout out Riesling,” said Phillip. “Here in Niagara, this grape always carries mouth-watering acidity which makes it such a refreshing wine to enjoy, dry or sweet.”
Outside of work and wine, Phillip is a lover of the great outdoors and enjoys back woods camping and hiking with his dog. He loves to cook and is working on his green thumb with a small veggie patch in his backyard. Phillip is also a self-proclaimed nerd, and has found a community of like-minded individuals in the wine industry who enjoy getting together for board games and D&D (that’s Dungeons and Dragons) with a glass of wine or two.

Why We're Cool

Leaning Post Wines

Niagara, Canada

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About Leaning Post Wines

A leaning post is what you find at the beginning of a row of grapes, anchoring the wires that are the frame-work for growing grapevines. It is the beginning of an obsession to translate a time and place into liquid. Leaning Post wines take you to that beginning by finding small, unique plots of land in Niagara and putting them in bottle. Because after stripping away all the fancy buildings and high-tech equipment you are left with a place on this earth that grows wine unlike any other. When you taste that in a glass you just know it.

After many years as a Niagara winemaker, Ilya Senchuk and wife Nadia followed their dream to produce world-class, terroir-driven wines from unique plots of land across Niagara. Housed in a restored 1850s barn, Leaning Post epitomizes small-scale, artisanal winemaking that focuses on Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Cabernet Franc. Our philosophy is to continue to find unique wines that truly show a sense of place.

Representative Biography

Ilya Senchuk, Owner & Head of Winemaking

Ilya Senchuk is the owner and Head of Winemaking for Leaning Post Wines. Originally from Winnipeg, Ilya followed his heart to pursue his Bachelors in Oenology and Viticulture from Brock University, graduating in 2003. Ilya truly can’t think of a better medium than wine, to express himself. It allows him to use his scientific and geeky side along with his artistic and creative side; add the connection to place, people and history and it is what he truly loves most. Ilya found his true calling early and built his career working for premium wineries in Niagara. He also honed his craft by working internationally in New Zealand.

In 2013, Ilya and wife Nadia opened Leaning Post Wines on Highway 8 in Winona, at the westerly edge of Niagara wine country. They planted the 11-acre Senchuk Vineyard to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and restored a barn from the 1850s for the winery and tasting room. Throughout his career Ilya had always dreamed of creating terroir driven wines that showed a distinctive sense of place. His wine philosophy is an unrelenting search to find the best sources of grapes to create the best wine possible. Ilya believes that Cool Climate Chardonnay gives you the best of all worlds, “It shows the best of what wine has to offer, with richness, power and charm on one side and focus, subtlety and grace on the other.”

Why We're Cool

The area around our winery near the town of Winona is an unusual micro-climate. The distance between the Escarpment and Lake Ontario is only 1.6km, by far the closest in Niagara. The proximity between the lake and escarpment results in very breezy conditions and moderated temperatures throughout the growing season. The resulting wines have an amazing elegance and restraint combined with intense flavour concentration, power and acidity. This unique place has captivated all of us since we started our winery, pushing us into exploring the terroir nearby. Along with our estate “Senchuk Vineyard” we get Chardonnay from “Il Vigneto” vineyard about 500 metres from our home property, both of which are in Lincoln Lakeshore sub-appellation. We believe in exploring as many different terroirs in Niagara as we can with our Chardonnay program. As a result, we receive grapes from various vineyards in other Niagara sub-appellations to find the very best terroirs. For example, we source Chardonnay from “Wismer – Foxcroft Vineyard” in Twenty Mile Bench sub-appellation in Vineland, and we will continue to add vineyard sources to our portfolio if we feel the location, aspect and farming practices fit within our philosophy and are likely to give us superior wine.

All our Chardonnays can go through spontaneous (wild) primary fermentation in barrel, with spontaneous (wild) malo-lactic as well. Each of our vineyards is kept separate from picking and processing all the way through fermentation and aging. All our Chardonnays are released with low sulphite additions, and either a single very rough filtration or often no filtration at all. As a result, our wines will sometimes contain small amounts of sediment in bottle. Our goal is to allow the terroir of each vineyard site to shine through by using simple, minimal winemaking techniques. We feel this best captures the essence of the place the grapes were grown and translates that into bottle.