Browsing Tag

Pinot Noir

Meet our Wineries: Trail Estate Winery

Trail_Estate_Small_Less4cmGuest blog by Hannah Stein

In 2011, Anton and Hildegard Sproll embarked on the journey of owning a vineyard, when they fell in love with the 14 acre property situated where Benway Road intersects the Millennium Trail in Prince Edward County. No strangers to hard work; they had just retired from running a successful bakery for 30 years. The family has all its bases covered to start up a business, with son and graphic designer, Alex Sproll and daughter and accountant, Sylvia Sproll. They enlisted the help of winemaker and grape grower, Mackenzie Brisbois to craft their wines. Trail Estate Winery is a passionate winery that strives to produces terroir-driven wines of exceptional quality.

We spoke to Alex Sproll about the highlights of his family’s own, Trail Estate Winery…

What sets your winery apart from others?

I think that what sets us apart is our focus on great food-friendly wines, made in small batches. This allows for the making of wines without being excessively commercial. This year, for example, we made some skin contact whites in insanely small batches and they’re brilliant! It’s not to say we’ll always keep things that small, but we do have the flexibility for it. This allows the winemaker to consistently push the envelope and provide interesting tasting experiences for guests — and we’ve got no animals on our labels! We also want to get people to interact with the winemaker and learn more about viticulture and wine. This year, we’ll be having a set of winemaker-led tours and tastings every Friday and structured tastings every Saturday. They’ll last anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour and are bound to be a great addition to the winery.

Which of your wines is your personal favourite and why?

I don’t have a favorite; I think one of the great things is to keep trying new things! If anything though, I do prefer wines with great floral and flinty aromatics — be it Pinot Noirs, Rieslings, Sauv Blanc or Chardonnay — I just find them more lively and interesting. Wine should have life! I shy away the majority of Merlot, Cab Sauvs or anything else too sweet and cloying.

What should people most look forward to when visiting your winery during this year’s Terroir Run?

This year, watch your step! Since we’re in a bit of an expansion phase, the entrance is through the roll-up door at the back, therefore, we’ve shifted the tasting bar to be in the middle of the winery. It’s a bit make-shift but the tasting bar is now literally beside the barrels! It’s also all smooth gravel around our winery at the moment, so runners can enjoy our section of softer, pothole-free road!

 

May 24, 2016 by

Meet our Wineries: Closson Chase Vineyards

imgres-5Guest Blog by Hannah Stein

Opened in 1998, Closson Chase Vineyards is a quality-driven wine producer, located in beautiful Prince Edward County. Their vines produce premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and their dedication to quality, small-scale harvesting and production practices help to make their wines stand out. In their high-density, 30-acre vineyard, all grapes are hand-picked, and carefully selected, as to consistently produce the best quality wines possible. With the skills of winemaker Keith Tyers, Closson Chase is committed to creating distinctive wines that rival the world’s finest.

We spoke to Erin MacInnis of Closson Chase Vineyards, about all that this winery has to offer…

What sets your winery apart from others?  

At Closson Chase, we are viticulture focused; we take the time to tend to our fruit and give it what to needs to thrive in our particular climate. Our staff are dedicated to sustainable practices throughout our vineyards and winery.

Which of your wines is your personal favourite and why?

I love the Vineyard Chardonnay, as I feel it is a very pure interpretation of the diversity of both our soil and climate.

What should people most look forward to when visiting your winery during this year’s Terroir Run?

The wine, of course!

May 22, 2016 by

Meet our Wineries: Norman Hardie Vineyard

Norm and Rebecca

Norm and Rebecca

Guest blog by Hannah Stein

Set amongst the vines, Norman Hardie Vineyard is situated in idyllic Prince Edward County, Ontario. Winemaker and owner, Norman Hardie first opened his doors to the public in 2005 and his wines can now be found across Ontario, in many Canadian Provinces, and in numerous international markets. On a clay limestone hill in Prince Edward County, Norman’s passion for fine wine is put to the ultimate test.

We spoke to Norman Hardie, winemaker and owner of Norman Hardie Vineyard, about the highlights of his winery…

What sets your winery apart from others?

What sets my winery apart is our commitment to quality; crafting exceptional wine from the unique terroirs of Ontario is the cornerstone of our operations, and continues to be our guiding principle. However, our pursuit of excellence doesn’t end in the cellar; every year our team welcomes visitors from near and far to enjoy wood-fired pizzas with a glass of wine on our patio. It is truly a County experience that’s not to be missed!

Which of your wines is your personal favourite and why?

My current favourite wine is our 2013 Unfiltered Chardonnay. The chardonnay has an exhilarating acidity, a rich mouthfeel and exceptional length. It’s also a perfect pairing with a tarte flambe pizza on the patio.

What should people most look forward to when visiting your winery during this year’s Terroir Run?

Again, this year the Terroir Run participants will be ending their run at Norman Hardie Vineyard. We are very much looking forward to welcoming the enthusiastic runners with a glass of wine on the patio overlooking the vines. It is always a fantastic lunch, filled with delicious treats from local producers, the best from neighbouring wineries and, of course, artisanal pizzas from our own wood oven.

May 20, 2016 by

Meet our wineries: Broken Stone Winery

imgres-4Guest blog by Hannah Stein

Broken Stone Winery is the dream of an urban family who wanted to live on a vineyard in Prince Edward County. In 2009, the Kuepfer Family purchased 34 acres of hayfields and forest, with no building and only an acre of year-old Pinot Noir vines. For the first few years, they camped on the land, hiding farm equipment in the forest and travelling from the city to farm the land on weekends. Over time, they were able to squeeze enough out of their family budget to build a road and a building, plant another 6 acres of vines, and buy a new tractor. Now, in their sixth vintage, the winery continues to grow a little more every year, as family gets closer to their dream.

We spoke to Tim Kuepfer, winemaker & co-owner of Broken Stone Winery, about all that his family winery has to offer…

What sets your winery apart from others?

Our winery is set far back from the road, amongst the vines. When people visit, we think it’s important for them to have a tasting experience as close to the vineyard as possible. Our tasting room opens onto the vineyard, and when you’re able to gaze upon the vines, while you contemplate the wine, the wine always tastes it’s absolute best.

Which of your wines is your personal favourite and why?

As they say, “they are all our children” — we aren’t supposed to have favourites and they are all good! Everyone has dramatically different taste buds and prefers different wines, so which wines we prefer is, in fact, irrelevant. The best way to choose a wine that fits you is to come to our tasting room and try them.

What should people most look forward to when visiting your winery during this year’s Terroir Run?

Delicious wine — that’s what it’s all about. We’ll also be offering charcuterie board tasting platters on our outdoor patio, so you can have a light lunch and experience how our wine pairs with various flavours.

May 18, 2016 by

Meet our Wineries: The Grange of Prince Edward

Maggie Belcastro & Andrew Mackenzie

Maggie Belcastro (Grange Winery) & Andrew Mackenzie

Guest blog by Hannah Stein

The Grange of Prince Edward is a family-run winery in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Now with the help of her daughter Maggie, Caroline Granger has spent the last 15 years discovering the great potential of this unique region. The Grange grows 6 varietals on a 60-acre vineyard; with chardonnay, pinot gris, riesling, gamay, pinot noir, and cabernet franc. The winery produces only 100% estate grown and made wines to reflect the region and its distinct style.

We spoke to Maggie Belcastro, winemaker & daughter of owner Caroline Granger, about what their winery, Grange of Prince Edward, has to offer…

What sets your winery apart from others?

The setting… The Grange winery is housed in a historical c.1826 barn on a beautiful estate. Our wines are also unique. Our production is 100% estate grown and made; there are no vineyards quite like ours and the wines we produce are unique because of this. We love ‘terroir’ at the Grange!

Which of your wines is your personal favourite and why?

Gamay is a favourite around here because it’s unique, versatile, food-friendly and all around a fun style of wine to drink. Sip it chilled in the summer and you are good to go.

What should people most look forward to when visiting your winery during this year’s Terroir Run?

Because we are a water-station, Terroir Run guests don’t get to see much of the winery as they run past so we wanted to offer guests a chance to stop by, explore the property and taste our wines. That’s why, on Friday May 27th at 4:00pm, we invite any and all Terroir Run participants who are already in the County to join us for a private tour and guided tasting. We will walk the vineyards, explore the winery and barrel cellar, and taste a few of our best estate grown and made wines.

May 16, 2016 by