Magnotta Winery

Niagara Region, Canada

Website

About Magnotta Winery

Vision. Passion. Achievement. Magnotta Winery Corporation is Ontario’s third largest winery producing, retailing, distributing, and exporting wine, cider, beer and spirits. As part of a small group of emerging wineries behind the Ontario wine renaissance that began over three decades ago, Magnotta is proud to have helped play a role in bringing Ontario's distinctive wines to center stage across Canada and throughout the world. Since 1990, Magnotta has won more than 5,000 Canadian and international awards and accolades for quality and product excellence. Offering over 180 world-class wines in every category to satisfy any budget or occasion including one of the largest VQA portfolios in Canada, premium and specialty wines and world-famous Icewines sold directly to consumers at winery-direct prices through 14 independent stores across Ontario. In 2018, Magnotta turned the page on a new chapter and launched Venture Series: 100% Ontario wines that include a charitable component. With over 20 products, Venture Series becomes Canada's largest collection of philanthropic wines dedicated to funding Lyme Disease research in Canada.
Magnotta is a proud, family-owned winery and grape grower steeped in innovative winemaking and local history for over 35 years. The grapes grown on its 180 acres of vineyards in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula are used to create award-winning, 100% Ontario vintages. For additional grapes, Magnotta supports the agricultural growth of the province by partnering with local independent grape growers.

Representative Biography

Peter Rotar, Winemaker

Peter Rotar has been a professional enologist for over 35 years. He is a graduate of the Minis Viticulture and Vinification College in Romania. Peter furthered his studies at the Bucharest Oenology Institute in Bucharest, Romania and completed his degree in viticulture and enology at the Western University of Oenology in Timisoara, Romania. He worked for 15 years at one of the largest wineries in the Banat Province of western Romania. In 1996, Peter travelled to Canada and has been Head Enologist at Magnotta Winery for nearly 25 years. Peter also specializes in distillation, the production of spirits and the development of several spirit and brandy recipes.
Continuing education and communicating with other winemakers are important to Peter and his ongoing success with creating VQA wines. He actively participates in events organized by Brock University and VQA Ontario that focus on changes and improvements to Ontario’s wine industry. He acquires and disseminates knowledge he has acquired at lectures and seminars on viticulture and oenology and is part of a Brock University sparkling wine group that traveled to Italy’s Prosecco region to learn more about sparkling wines and traditional methods. With VQA Ontario, he has participated in tasting groups to redefine the characteristics of VQA wines.
Peter’s experiences and extensive travels over the years to different parts of world allow him to compare his VQA wines against wines from other countries, study other styles of wines and keep him open-minded to explore new possibilities.
“Our cool-climate region is what makes our wines distinctive, food friendly and memorable. Ontario grapes ripen slowly resulting in complex wines with higher acidity and more mineral flavours, making them the perfect wines to pair with all types of cuisine.”

Why We're Cool

Ontario wine country represents generations of winemakers and grape growers who are passionate about creating world-class, award-winning wines. And, at Magnotta, we’ve been true believers in the potential of Ontario as a wine region from the very beginning.

When it comes to winemaking, it’s no secret that Chardonnay is one of the world’s best white grape varietals because of its innate ability to adapt to and thrive in both cool and warm climates. Ontario’s cool climate viticulture is especially well suited to grow exceptional Chardonnays, both in an oaked and unoaked style. Cool climate Chardonnays are oftentimes lighter bodied with slightly more acidity, yet well-balanced with citrus flavours and mineral character. We pride ourselves on producing silky, light to medium-bodied Chardonnays that are superbly dry with a creamy, palate cleansing finish. Their Honeydew melon, Anjou pear and Golden Delicious apple flavour profile is accompanied by slight herb, butter and oak spice notes.

Magnotta’s Chardonnay grapes are predominantly grown in our Niagara Stone Road vineyards, situated in the heart of the prestigious and historic Niagara-on-the-Lake region. The terroir of this 25-acre vineyard brings out the very best of Ontario’s character. Our premium, handcrafted and award-winning G. Marquis collection of wines is made exclusively with grapes grown in our Niagara Stone Road vineyard. Bordered by Lake Ontario, the area is strongly influenced by the presence of the open lake water. The land warms quickly in the day and cools rapidly on clear nights but since the temperature of the lake changes slowly due to its great mass, the area is ideally situated for avoiding late spring frosts. On a clear, crisp night, the land surface becomes cooler than the lake surface. Air above the lake rises, drawing in cooler air from the land surface, creating an off-shore breeze. The air that now sits above the lake is warmed, rising and flowing back over the land, creating a circular heat-pump effect. The soil is sandy-loam, very loose and fertile, making this vineyard vigorous and productive. Although, spring development comes very early and is susceptible to spring frost, it ultimately makes for a longer developing season allowing for the full ripening of grapes. Bearing quality fruit since the early 1990s, the vineyard produces grapes with bolder flavours and softer tannins due to the richer soil composition and longer ripening season.

Westcott Vineyards

Vinemount Ridge, Niagara, Canada

Website

About Westcott Vineyards

At Westcott Vineyards the singular goal is to create wine that is a true reflection of place. Focusing on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wines, this approach starts in the vineyard with careful planting, sustainable vineyard practices, and deliberate low yields designed to bring the best out of the unique terroir of both the Westcott Home Farm and Butlers’ Grant vineyards. This is followed by careful hand picking and sorting, and low-intervention winemaking decisions designed to showcase the unique Niagara terroir and subtle year-to-year variations. Each year the goal is to make better wine, not more wine. Proudly Canadian, the Westcott team is united in the mission to produce wines that stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world.

Representative Biography

Casey Kulczyk, Winemaker

A Niagara native and graduate of Niagara College, Winemaker Casey shares the Westcott Vineyards passion for creating wine that is a true reflection of unique Niagara terroir.
Prior to joining Westcott, Casey started his career at Westcott neighbouring winery Flat Rock Cellars, followed by a few international stints, first in New Zealand at Saint Claire Estate, and then in California as the first international intern to work at the storied Rhys Vineyard. Following that, Casey joined Jackson Triggs, which was an opportunity to gain experience within one of Niagara’s largest producers, and more importantly, a chance to help grow and expand their traditional method sparkling wine program.
Since joining Westcott in 2018, as they added to their Home Farm vineyard with the purchase of the 43-acre Butlers’ Grant property which is home to some of the oldest vines in the region, Casey has been an integral part of the ongoing growth of Westcott, maintaining a relentless focus on winemaking excellence, carefully expanding the Westcott portfolio to include new single-vineyard Pinots and Chardonnays , and introducing new Sparkling wines such as Brilliant Rosé and the newly introduced Brilliant Blanc de Noirs. Under Casey’s direction, the team has also won many awards, including the prestigious Platinum Award at the 2023 National Wine Awards for the 2020 Westcott Block 76 Chardonnay.

Why We're Cool

Great wine, quality wine, is really a story of passionate people. Why? It’s simple. Great wine is crazy hard work. And growing Chardonnay in the Cool Climate Vinemount Ridge appellation is harder than most. It requires year round dedication to tending grapes and vines. Every vine and every bunch of grapes is checked, pruned, thinned, managed and every rough weather day teared and sweated. This is what quality in wine means to them, while passionate is really another word for nutty. They’re passionate about making extraordinary wine. Thankfully, they’re not alone.

Bachelder

Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada

Website

About Bachelder

In Niagara, Bachelder has found a neat little barrel cellar tucked away in the vines on the Beamsville Bench, but the grapes have been sorted and processed at Southbrook Vineyards from day one. Bachelder has secured some excellent sites on the bench that stretch through Beamsville (organic), to Vineland on the way to the St. David’s Bench.

We make wines from local terroirs, using “wild” (indigenous) yeasts, and grapes from older vineyard parcels when we can find them. We encourage low-impact viticulture – especially organics – wherever possible. Everything goes to barrels for long ageing and development – barrels carefully chosen for their “transparency” and ability to help express terroir.

The intent is to make pure, subtle, suavely textured wines that sing lightly and clearly of their vineyard origins, with as little makeup as possible – wines that are finely perfumed and tightly wound, offering the classic refined fruit and textured minerality of the delicate silt, clay and dolomitic limestone-laced ancient lakebed terroirs of Niagara.

Representative Biography

Thomas Bachelder, Winemaker & Owner and Mary Delaney, Owner

With their two young daughters in tow, Thomas and his wife Mary Delaney have unwittingly become wine gypsies, following their passion to produce terroir-revealing wines from these two most noble Burgundian grapes. Québécois by birth, Thomas’ family hails from the dairy farming belt east of Montréal (l’Éstrie), where the Bachelder family owned two farms for as long as anyone can remember.

Just three years after his marriage, he went off with his young bride to study in Beaune, Bourgogne, to become a vigneron. Domaine de la Créa (Beaune); Domaine Marius Delarche (Pernand/Aloxe); Ponzi Vineyards (Oregon); Château Génot-Boulanger (Meursault) all formed him. Subsequent start-ups in Oregon at Lemelson Vineyards and in Niagara at both the Burgundy/Niagara joint-venture Le Clos Jordanne and, later at Domaine Queylus all enabled him to discover and honour precious new world terroirs, just as vital, just as fragile and just as important.

Thomas Bachelder Quotes

Dust and Pebbles: “Back at school in Beaune, I had a life-changing experience in a tidy vaulted cellar in Chassagne-Montrachet* - a three-hour tasting of white wine in which the grape type was never mentioned – only the vineyard names were discussed – along with descriptions of the poorish, but well-drained, pebbly, sloped limestone soil from which they sprang. It was the moment that I came back to Chardonnay for good!”

Intent is Everything: ‘No matter where one grows Chardonnay, the attitude of the wine grower affects the grape and the resulting wine: the management of the vineyards soils and the grapevine canopy, the picking date, the handling in the winery and cellar can all contribute to the retention of freshness of acidity; minerality and dense yet silky texture that mark all the world’s truly great Chardonnay wines. For only the noblest white grapes are subtle enough to let land pass before fruit; to let their lineage show through the grape flavours. The older the vine; the more it speaks of its birthplace: the more time in barrel, the more a synthesis of terroir and texture is achieved (one can draw a parallel here of the ageing of the most perceptive and elegant of humans, as well!)”
“The pebbles will always be there – but we now know for sure that the dust is gold dust – Chardonnay and its precious lands lie patiently waiting to be rediscovered.
Chardonnay – the real Chardonnay - the very word makes one’s mouth water!”

Why We're Cool

We make wines from local terroirs, using “wild” (indigenous) yeasts, and grapes from older vineyard parcels when we can find them. We encourage low-impact viticulture – especially organics – wherever possible. Everything goes to barrels for long ageing and development – barrels carefully chosen for their “transparency” and ability to help express terroir.

The intent is to make pure, subtle, suavely textured wines that sing lightly and clearly of their vineyard origins, with as little makeup as possible – wines that are finely perfumed and tightly wound, offering the classic refined fruit and textured minerality of the delicate silt, clay and dolomitic limestone-laced ancient lakebed terroirs of Niagara.

Adamo Estate Winery

Hockley Valley, Ontario , Canada

Website

About Adamo Estate Winery

Hockley Valley may not seem like an obvious location to establish a winery, and that’s what made it an ideal spot for Mario Adamo; Visionary, risk-taker and pioneer. 2013 was our first vintage and in 2015, the team were thrilled and proud to be crushing the Chardonnay, Riesling and Vidal on the very fields Mario had planted by hand. Though Adamo Estate Winery was a dream born out of Mario’s historical fondness, an innate curiosity and a desire to succeed, his vision is innovative and focused on family tradition, something the Adamo family has already proven to be a successful formula.

Adamo Estate Winery is a small-batch boutique winery with 20,000 vines, focusing on organic practices. Starting with fruit from the estate, and from top growers in Ontario, their fruit speaks for itself and their terroir-driven wines.

Located in the beautiful rolling hills of Hockley Valley, just 1 hour north of the GTA, the winery offers a beautiful retail space and tasting bar, as well unique event and meeting spaces overlooking the vines, tanks or the cellar.

We focus on cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, making those our principal varietals, followed by: Riesling, Gamay Noir, Cabernet Franc and Vidal. Other varietals we carry include: Chardonnay Musqué, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and l’Acadie Blanc.

Take in the scenic beauty of the region, tour the winery and taste the fruits of their labour! Visit Adamo Estate Winery’s website at adamoestate.com.

Representative Biography

Vanessa McKean, Winemaker

Vanessa McKean grew up on a Black Angus Beef and Belgian Horse farm in the Blue Mountains, her roots are in farming so viticulture was a natural draw. After graduating from Niagara College’s Wine & Viticulture program, Vanessa wanted to pursue growing grapes and making wine in the emerging region of South Georgian Bay where she worked as the Wine & Cider maker for Georgian Hills Vineyards & Ardiel Cider for 10 years. During this time Vanessa also consulted on a number of other winery/vineyard projects in the area assisting people establish vineyards.
Vanessa joined the Adamo Estate Winery team in 2020 as Vineyard Manager and has since taken on roles of Assistant Winemaker & now Winemaker to produce wines with heart and history.

Why We're Cool

AAdamo Estate Winery is a very cool place!

We are located in the Hills of Headwaters in Mono, Ontario. Our latitude/longitude is 44°03′00″N80°04′28″W and our altitude 435 metres. Our vineyard is planted on beautiful rolling hills along the northern part of the Niagara Escarpment. We are located 60kms north-west of Lake Ontario and a km south of Hockley Valley Resort. Lake Ontario does not directly affect our micro climate which allows us to have more extreme temperature variations in the winter and summer.

Due to the location, which is generally an equal distance from 3 large bodies of water, a consistent breeze is often travelling through our vineyard. We cover our vines with geotextiles for the winter, which helps us to prevent winter damage or death to our vines. Chardonnay is definitely a focus for us and since our first Chardonnay vines were planted in 2012 we have seen great success! We have expended our Chardonnay clone and rootstock selection as we have expanded our vineyard; now totalling 5 acres of Chardonnay on our estate.

Adamo Estate Winery believes that great vineyard sites and great growers are the key to having a sense of place and terroir. In addition to our own vineyard, we are working with exceptional vineyards in Niagara & Prince Edward County. The Lore Vineyard which is located in the Four Mile Creek appellation within NOTL, is a mature planting with close proximity to the Niagara River and the soil in the area has a higher percentage of loam. This 25 year old planting has a unique trellis system of Scott-Henry, with plantings of the Chardonnay Musqué clones throughout the block. This vineyard is managed by Huebel Grapes Estates, which specializes in premium viticulture. We also source from the Wismer family who manages premium vineyards, such as the sought after Foxcroft Vineyard in the Twenty Mile Bench. Foxcroft was planted in 1996 on a clay with loam and limestone soil site that slopes towards Lake Ontario. Most Recently we have sourced Chardonnay from Ramirez Vineyard in Prince Edward County. With its limestone rich soils and unique climate The County is growing complex and focused Chardonnay that we are excited to have as part of our portfolio.

Adamo Estate Winery celebrates all great growing regions for Chardonnay in Ontario, and why we choose to work with many vineyards that have very different expressions of the awesome grape, Chardonnay.

Tawse Winery

Niagara Escarpment, Canada

Website

About Tawse Winery

Tawse is a family-owned estate winery located on the lower slopes of the Niagara Escarpment. At Tawse, organic farming practices are the foundation of everything we do as it directly impacts the health of our soils, the quality of our grapes, and the complexity of our wines. For over 20 years we have united traditional winemaking techniques with state-of-the-art technology to create a portfolio of award-winning wines that reflect the terroir and express a sense of place.

Representative Biography

Jessica Otting, Winemaker

Jessica Otting is an accomplished winemaker with experience at renowned wineries across the globe. Starting her career at just 17, she quickly discovered her passion and dedication to winemaking. After graduating from Niagara College's Winery & Viticulture Technician Program in 2011, she refined her craft through hands-on experience at leading wineries, developing her expertise in cool-climate wines.

Since joining Tawse Winery in 2014, Jessica’s talent and vision propelled her to Head Winemaker by 2020. Known for crafting premium organic wines that express the unique terroir of the Vineland Bench, she combines technical excellence with a collaborative approach, continuously driving Tawse’s pursuit of quality and innovation.

Why We're Cool

Our winemaker Jessica Otting is a firm believer in terroir and works with Chardonnay from several vineyards to showcase their unique flavour profiles. The soils vary widely, from the high limestone content of the Quarry Road Vineyard to the clay and loam combination of the Robyn's Block Vineyard. The vineyard and winemaking teams pay careful attention to detail through the whole process from sustainable vineyard practices to hand-picking at the ideal ripeness.

The Chardonnays are all fermented with indigenous yeast in a thoughtful blend of new and old 228L and 500L French oak barrels where they are aged for 12 months on their lees. Once the oak maturation is complete, the wine rests in stainless steel tanks for about 6 months prior to bottling to allow wood integration and bright acid preservation. This approach results in complex, well-balanced Chardonnays that highlight both the unique characteristics of each vineyard and the winemaker's skillful craftsmanship.