Cave Spring’s Gabriel Demarco follows his nose.

FROM LEFT: Thomas Pennachetti, VP of marketing and sales; Len Pennachetti, co-founder.

Co-founder Len Pennachetti was awarded the Order of Canada in 2020 in recognition of “his key role in developing the Ontario wine industry and for fostering tourism in the Niagara Peninsula region.” The wines of Cave Spring have been instrumental in defining Niagara as a world-class wine region.

"What I love most about making wine in Ontario is crafting wines true to vintage within the dynamic variation in weather from vintage to vintage,” says Len Pennachetti. “If you have a favourite wine from us, you’re in fact following the story of a vineyard year over year. I love crafting wine with low intervention, to allow for the vintage variation in each wine to speak in the glass. I love this wine’s delicate nature, elegance, ripe cherry fruit, fine structure, and balanced acidity. In the winery, we allow the terroir to speak, utilizing only natural fermentation methods, neutral oak, and no filtration.” Pennachetti suggests enjoying this wine with grilled portobello mushrooms, grilled sweet potato, and a medley of grilled vegetables (think zucchini, eggplant and peppers) drizzled with a tarragon-and-tahini dressing.

FROM LEFT: Alex Baines, winemaker; Harald Thiel, vigneron/proprietor; Joel Williams, vineyard manager.

It’s no secret why Hidden Bench’s high-quality, biodynamic wines are frequently among Niagara’s most awarded.

"There’s a difference between being a grape grower and a winemaker. We have no issues cutting yields and taking a hands-on approach to make wines of greater concentration. A mechanical, quantity-driven approach simply won’t do,” says vigneron/proprietor Harald Thiel. “There’s an ethos to being an organic producer. Using indigenous yeasts, hand-picking, low intervention, all allows Beamsville Bench’s terroir to speak for itself.” The result? “Niagara Riesling isn’t just good, it’s world-class. Everyone should give it a try. Think of it as our summer wine. Light, crisp, mineral-driven, and an amazing accompaniment to seared scallops in beurre blanc.”

FROM LEFT: Matthew Speck, VP of operations; Paul Speck, president; Daniel Speck, VP of sales.

Leaders in sustainability, the Speck family have worked their land for six generations. Henry of Pelham is one of the pillars of Niagara’s fine-wine industry.

The character of the world’s wine regions largely falls into one of two categories: Northern European (cool-climate, fruity and savoury) or Mediterranean (very hot, fruit-driven). New World wine regions are almost entirely Mediterranean in character, with one notable exception: the Niagara Peninsula. “We have more in common with most of northern Italy, say, than we do with northern California,” says co-owner and VP of sales Daniel Speck. “The Short Hills Bench, with 90% of Niagara’s south-facing exposures, is something very special. Our School House Cabernet/Merlot is an estate-grown wine, pulling on our best Cabernet Franc and Merlot vineyards, with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a dense, elegant wine, like its siblings from famous years ’95, ’98, ’02, ’07, ’10, ’12, and ’16 were before it – wines that still drink to this day.” As for a pairing for this wine, Speck says, “For something simple, it would be a medium-rare beef tenderloin or flank steak. And if I were celebrating with family, I’d drink it with roast turkey and skip the cranberries.”

Keith Tyers, winemaker.

Adding a welcome warmth to Ontario’s wintry Prince Edward County, Closson Chase has become one of the most recognizable names in Ontario’s coldest wine-growing region.

As winemaker Keith Tyers says, “we have awesome terroir here in Prince Edward County. Our unique mix of shallow siltier clay over fractured limestone makes for wines with a bracing acidity. It leads to Chardonnays with acidic backbone and light salinity that peer through the richness of a warm vintage.” For those who desire a classic Burgundian-style white, Prince Edward County is great for that. “Classic-style Chard pairs with classic-style meals. I’m always enjoying this with a good roast lemon chicken or a mushroom risotto.” (Though Closson Chase are based in Prince Edward County, grapes for this wine were sourced from Niagara River.)

Jessica Otting, winemaker.

With an ingenious cellar design that reduces energy use while pumping out spectacular wines, Tawse Winery shows there’s no time like the present to be eco-conscious.

"We’re lucky to be in the Twenty Mile Bench. Being sandwiched between two lakes means that we have a unique microclimate where we’re exposed to significantly more lake breezes,” says winemaker and distiller Jessica Otting. “That breeze is paramount to the success of Niagara, where we don’t need wind turbines to cool off in the summer and the escarpment helps regulate heat in the winter. You see it in the wines of 2021. Even though most of us Niagara winemakers consider it a challenging harvest, it made for an extraordinary vintage, with balanced, juicy wines of greater concentration.”

FROM LEFT: Jonathan McLean, winemaker; Taylor Emerson, vintner.

Founded in 2017 by vintner Taylor Emerson, Black Bank Hill exemplifies single-vineyard winemaking, producing precision wines of absolute provenance.

"Perhaps the most exciting thing about making wine in Niagara,” says vintner Taylor Emerson, “is the evolving and ongoing process of discovery; exploring the terroir and uncovering what makes us special and unique. Wine is a food and an important cultural product. Every day I see more Canadians discover and connect with our wines in a personal way, sharing at the table with family and friends. The toasty, mineral 2020 Chardonnay displays all the character of fine Chardonnay, with a fascinating tension between fresh, energetic, citrus-based outer body and the warmer, butterscotch, slightly creamy inner core.” A favourite casual pairing for Emerson is roast chicken stuffed with lemon. For a formal dinner, he suggests grilled salmon with butter and herbs alongside fresh-picked Ontario corn and prosciutto-wrapped asparagus. And, he adds, “some grilled peaches for dessert!”

Thomas Bachelder, winemaker.

Niagara’s bona fide wine superstar Thomas Bachelder produces some of the region’s most admired ultra-premium Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.

"If there’s one thing Burgundy has taught me, it’s the importance of regional nuance. We’ve been mapping out the entire Niagara Peninsula from Vinemount to Niagara River to identify key factors in between,” says Bachelder as he brandishes a hand-drawn map of the Niagara Peninsula. “Separated by the Twenty Mile Creek, the Bachelder Pinot is grown in what we call the Vineland Bench and the [newly renamed] Domaine Le Clos Jordanne is in what we call the Jordan Bench.” He adds that “even though they’re neighbouring plots in what is currently considered the Beamsville Bench, there’s a stark difference in the soils and tastes. Bachelder wines are fleshier and riper, where Clos Jordanne wines are more austere and chalkier on the finish.”

Calamus planted their first vines in 2000 and have become one of Ontario’s leading artisanal wineries. They host stargazing evenings where visitors can taste wines while being guided through a star tour by an expert astronomer.

"Our wine’s name pays homage to our picturesque location adjacent to the Ball’s Falls Conservation Area, and we’re proud to support the Ball’s Falls Foundation with a portion of the proceeds from every bottle sold,” says Calamus proprietor Rosalee Van-Helsdingen. “This wine is a sophisticated blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from our Vinemount Ridge Vineyard in Jordan, and select Ontario sites. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and a soft texture, it has a food-friendly, bright acidity and ripe fruit, vanilla, and a dash of spice.” She suggests grilled steak and mushrooms as a perfect pairing.

Jennifer Hart, general manager.

The award-winning Featherstone Estate Winery perfectly encapsulates the character, precision craftsmanship, and sense of community that define Niagara winemaking.

"I find the wines being made here in Ontario so exciting. Around the world, great wines are being made in famous regions, but everything that makes them so special can be found here in Ontario,” says Featherstone general manager Jennifer Hart. “We have ancient soils, perfect weather, and incredibly skilled people creating precise, individual expressions of place in so many styles. There’s a reason why people are coming from around the world to make wines here or to study at Brock and Niagara College.” The Onyx is a small-batch wine from the 2020 vintage; a great year for reds. “It’s a classic Bordeaux blend. The plush ripe fruit tones come from the Merlot, the red fruit from the Cabernet Franc (which is our flagship red grape), and the backbone comes from the Cabernet Sauvignon. It will age for 15 years or more.” For a casual meal, she suggests serving this with an eggplant parm or a bolognese, and for something more serious, roast lamb with herbed roasted vegetables.

Ed Madronich, president.

A pioneer in sustainability and innovative cuvées, Flat Rock Cellars is rightfully one of Niagara’s most celebrated wineries.

"Much like we never compare Chianti to Rioja, I don’t think it’s right to compare Niagara to other regions,” says president Ed Madronich. “Niagara’s one of a kind. The real similarity is that we’re always consistently able to grow high-quality grapes.” It’s from this consistency and Flat Rock’s passionate, innovative approach that the Twisted wines came to be. “We’re always trying to push the envelope at Flat Rock. It wasn’t common 20 years ago to have a premium Niagara blended wine, so we took a page from Bordeaux and made something that’s better than the sum of its parts. We couldn’t have been happier with the result. It’s fantastic by the beach with a salad or a piece of grilled fish.”

Kelly Mason, head winemaker.

From their first vintage in 2010, Queylus has exemplified the very best that the Niagara Peninsula has to offer, crafting terroir-driven wines of great purity, refinement and power.

"What makes Ontario great is also what makes it challenging,” says Queylus winemaker Kelly Mason. “We’re considered a cool-climate region; however, each vintage is vastly different from the next, and we can have very hot vintages. It makes for interesting and diverse wines, but also great winemakers because you need to adapt to constant change. The Tradition is an excellent representation of cool-climate Pinot Noir. It has subtle baking spice notes from the oak and is beautifully balanced. Given the cooler vintage, we feel the wine is best enjoyed now,” she says. “I recently had this with a confit duck salad as an appetizer. It would also pair well with lightly seasoned grilled salmon.”

Located on a gorgeous 140-year-old property, Kew Vineyards is Beamsville Bench’s meeting point between ancestral charm and modern finesse.

"Kew Vineyards is a Goldilocks spot,” says cellar master (and occasional D&D dungeon master) Phillip Brown. “When you go along the Peninsula, the elevation and proximity to the lake changes drastically. Kew gets the best of both worlds. It’s just far enough from the lake to get a gentle breeze, and the elevation is great for sun exposure and warding off disease pressure.” So how does Marsanne, a grape native to the hot, dry Rhône Valley, fare in Niagara’s terroir? “All Niagara winemakers (me included) are acidity fiends, and acidity is key for Marsanne. Without it, Marsanne will feel unbalanced and flabby. In a hotter vintage like 2020, you get wines with a lush, oily texture balanced by that characteristic Niagara-limestone acidic minerality.”

Fred DiProfio, winemaker.

Pondview Estate Winery changed their name to Bella Terra in June of 2021 but retained the Pondview moniker for their Icewines. The Puglisi family have been growing grapes on their 50-acre farm since 1974.

"There’s always risk involved in agriculture, and Icewine especially, as you need such specific conditions to make it. Icewines are a testament to the extremes that the grapes experience in our vineyards, from a long ripening season to the cold winter temperatures that help to create these naturally concentrated wines,” says winemaker Fred DiProfio. “We like our Icewine grapes to experience a few freeze-and-thaw cycles before we harvest. This works like a pre-harvest maceration that concentrates the flavours in the pulp. There’s always the chance the weather won’t co-operate. Vidal is physically robust, with relatively thick skins. It stands up well to the extremes of the weather, and the high-toned aromatics, intense fruit and luxurious mouthfeel Vidal reveals as an Icewine are worth the risk.” DiProfio says this Icewine can be enjoyed on its own, but it’s also great on vanilla ice cream or with dark chocolate.

Martin Janz, winemaker.

With more than 700 acres under vine, Canada’s southernmost estate winery is a tireless champion for the preservation of Pelee Island’s unique natural ecosystems.

"I’m a European-trained winemaker who arrived in Ontario in 1996,” says winemaker Martin Janz. “I quickly realized that Ontario, and especially Pelee Island, is a remarkable wine-growing region. The island’s location and unique climate conditions can present challenges, but they also work with our distinct soils to allow us to grow a diverse range of grape varieties and craft exceptional wines for everyone to enjoy.” Cabernet Franc is a personal favourite of Janz’s, and it contributes to many outstanding red wines in the region. “To craft this rosé, we harvested the grapes slightly earlier than usual. This gave us this harmonious wine, with its balanced acidity and sweetness. It’s perfect for enjoying on a patio, sipping and sharing with friends and family, but it will also pair wonderfully with seafood, grilled chicken, or a traditional charcuterie board.”

Jean-Pierre (JP) Colas, winemaker.

Art and wine come together at 13th Street through their Expression Project, sculpture garden, and the John Mann Gallery, which contains pieces by many of Canada’s best-known artists as well as showcasing up-and-coming talent.

Gamay may not be top of mind when you think of sparkling wines, but in the hands of boutique traditional-method specialist 13th Street, it shines brightly. Ontario’s cool climate encourages the development of grapes with high natural acidity, a critical component to crafting top-flight sparkling wines. The Creek Shores appellation is nearly completely surrounded by water and is criss-crossed by numerous streams that provide superb temperature moderation and allow grapes to achieve both full ripeness and impressive balance. This wine is fresh, tart and quite exuberant with a complex and delightfully unique blend of apple and blue fruit flavours. A wine to try with lamb or dark chocolate.

Be sure to check out Meet Your Match in the Autumn issue of Food & Drink magazine, which spotlights food-friendly signature Ontario wines and dishes up delicious recipes to pair them with. Pick up your copy in stores or view it on LCBO.com on September 4.