Ontario's Niagara Peninsula

Angels Gate Winery

4260 Mountainview Road
Beamsville ON L0R 1B2
905.563.3942

 

Located on 10 acres on the Beamsville beach of the Niagara Peninsula you find the dream and passion of David and Catherine Burr. Their dream began with a visit to Napa Valley in 1996. Jim and Hillary Young, and a group of wine loving friends, pooled their resources with David and Catherine Burr, to create Angels Gate Winery. in 2001.

The state of the art wine making facility is built underground, so the earth naturally keeps the cellars cool. Grape receiving, crushing, and fermentation occurs in half the underground facility, with the finished product transferred to French and American oak for aging until it is ready for release The tasting room features, along with their wines,the Angels Gate Tower, a 41-foot structure featuring a photo history of the vineyards, and other educational displays

Angels Gate maintains three separate plots of vines. , the first plot is where winery sits on 25 acres with 10 acres of Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The second plot another 22 acres on Mountainview Rd. where their Old Vines Chardonnay comes from, along with Merlot and Pinot Noir. The third property is 24 acres on the Beamsville plain where they grow Riesling, Chardonnay,Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. All grapes are100% hand harvested and hand sorted to give us the utmost in quality.

Winemaker: Natalie Spytkowsky
WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY: Less is More we use minimal fining and filtration to allow the wine to show   its full potential.

Angels Gate signature wines are Riesling Sussreserve which is unfermented grape juice added back to the wine just prior to bottling, and Old Vines Chardonnay which come   from 29 year old vines. The winery exports to Florida along with Manitoba, Alberta and Quebec

Archibald Orchards & Estate Winery

6275 Liberty Street North
Bowmanville, ON
(905) 263-2396
Fax (905) 263-4263

 

Archibald's is nestled in the picturesque Oak Ridges Moraine. Since 1983, visitors to Archibald's have enjoyed a taste of country! From apples fresh off the tree - to pies still warm from the oven; from cider right off the press - to most recently, fruit fermented into award winning wines - there is something for every palate at this fourth generation family farm.
Your hosts Fred & Sandy Archibald.

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY
Great wines are grown... it is important to be in control of all the steps, from the site selection and varietal choices to final blending and balancing.

Andrés Wines

Mailing Address
P.O. 10550 Winona, ON. L8E 5S4
Telephone
905-643-4131
FAX
905-643-4944
E mail: info@andreswines.com

Founded in 1961 Andrés is one of the oldest wineries in Canada. Their brands include Hochtaler, Domain D'Or, Franciscan and Similkameen.

Andrés Wines owns wineries in Ontario ( Peller Estates & Hillebrand Estates ) and British Columbia ( Port Moody) Nova Scotia , Quebec and Manitoba . Most are bottling plants not vineyards. Their operation began in Port Moody BC in 1961 using California grapes. They moved their main operation to Ontario.

Andrés has continued to develop wines in BC developing Vineyards near Oliver BC. Look for the BigHorn Vineyard Label

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY
Much of Andrés' success can be contributed to its emphasis on quality innovation.

Bellamere Country Market & Winery

1260 Gainsborough Rd.
London, Ontario, Canada
N6H 5K8 (519) 473-2273

 

Starting as a family farm, the younger member of the made family began the marketing experience in 1980s. 0pening a market in 1985 adding a Bakery and deli to great a delightful shopping experience, Bellamere started producing fruits and later mixing fruit and grape to produce some very unique wines. The timber structure winery opened in 1998.

Jim Patient is the wine maker producing wines made from 100% Ontario-grown raspberries, strawberries, apples, pears, blackberries, cranberries, and blueberries. Our fruit wines range dramatically in style and sweetness from the depth and complexity of our full-bodied Blackberry wine, to the sweet fruit intensity of our ice wines.

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY
To make wines that capture fruit character and captive the customer

Birchwood Estate Wines

4679 Cherry Avenue
Beamsville, Ontario, Canada
L0R 1B1
Tel: (905) 562-VINE (8463)
Fax: (905) 562-6344

BWretail@birchwoodwines.ca

A small, friendly winery located 2 km (a mile or so!) south of the Beamsville Bench, just north of Lake Ontario and west of Jordan Harbour. . Established on approximately 10 acres of planted vines, the focus for Birchwood is to produce high quality fruit driven wines from top Ontario grapes at very affordable prices. The winery is owned by Niagara Cellars Inc

The cottage style wine shops offers local artisans' crafts and paintings along with complimentary wine tastings.

Birchwood makes Cabernet Franc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Vidal ice wines.
Their wines also include the Salmon River label.
Their Signature wine Gewürztraminer Riesling 2003 won a double gold at the American Wine Society's Commercial Wine Competition

Hours: Open daily year round ( 10am-5pm )
Tour Hours: Daily through summer months. Reservations required

Winemaker: Tom Green
Philosophy: Small in size but big in heart, we are firm believers in quality over quantity.  doing things as well as we can, and staying true to our friendly reputation.

Chateau des Charmes

1025 York Road
St.David's Niagara-on-the-lake,
Ontario, Canada
N6H 5K8 (519) 473-2273

Wine master Paul-Michel Bosc a French Winegrower came to Canada and started his family vineyard in 1978. The winery has 240 acres under cultivation in Niagara-on-the-Lake, claiming to be the first in Canada to plant a vineyard exclusively to vifis vinifera.
Chateau Des Charmes has a good web site*.
Madame Bosc plays an important role in the winery , as a teacher by profession, she devotes much of her attention to producing a highly educational and enjoyable winery tour. The Globe and Mail once commented that " Château des Charmes boasts one of the best tours any oenophile is ever likely to take, Napa Valley and Champagne districts included.

Paul Bosc's winemaking style is Burgundian. His son Pierre-Jean also shares the duties as Winemaker. Noted wines are Brut (V.Q.A.) Sparkling Wine and their Riesling Icewines.

The Bosc family is very proud of their reputation as pioneers and innovators. As Hugh Johnson pointed out, Château des Charmes was the first winery in Canada to plant a vineyard dedicated to "vitis vinifera"- the European grape species that produces the world's finest wines. These include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Gamay Noir and Riesling. Back in 1978, this was a controversial innovation but it has become the standard for the modern Canadian wine industry. "Paul did much to convince the industry that the future lay in vinifera varieties and his early Rieslings and Chardonnay's were models for other wineries," wrote wine author Tony Aspler in his book Vintage Canada

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY
To make wines in the French style by virtue of their heritage.

Their wines can be purchased throughout Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan and Hawaii

Caroline Cellars

1028 Line 2
Niagara on the Lake, Ontario
Tel: (905) 468-8814
Fax: (905) 468-4042

 

One of the newer wineries on the Niagara Peninsula. Owned and operated by the Lakeit family (Rick and Frieda and their children: Rick Jr., Justine, Stephanie and Jaclyn) of Lakeit Farms, who have owned the vineyards where Caroline Cellars is located since 1978.
Caroline Cellars was built and named in honour of the late Caroline Lakeit, beloved mother and grandmother.

The winery includes a Special Events Loft for special occasion events, such as wedding receptions, wedding or baby showers, stag and does, business events, anniversary parties, charity events, or whatever else you decide to celebrate. Free tastings are available at the Wine Boutique. Try their 2001 Late Harvest Riesling which won a silver medal at the Ottawa Wine and Food Show 2002

winemaker is Jens Gemmrich.

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY
is to provide quality wines (in accordance with VQA standards and approval) at a pleasing price. Our goal is to make Ontario wines accessible to all, and to see Ontario wines on tables throughout North America.

Cave Spring Cellars

3836 Main Street,
Jordan, Ontario.
(905)562-3581

 

Located on the Niagara Peninsula near the historical town of Jordan. They have vineyards on The Beamsville Bench, rated as one of the best micro-climates for the cultivation of Vinifera grapes. Cave Spring Cellars was founded in 1986 by grape grower Leonard Pennachetti and winemaker Angelo Pavan. "At Cave Springs we believe that our wines are unique because they capture what the French call 'Gout de Terroir'; or Taste of the Land from which they come; and no amount of Artifice-Ecological or otherwise could ever replicate the particular flavour profile they achieve. The uniqueness of our wines stems directly from their authenticity of origin" .

Almost half of their product is Riesling. They have a reputation for producing excellent Riesling Icewine

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY
As winemakers, we must remain true to the fruit of our vineyards. At Cave Spring our task is to capture and preserve the individuality of Niagara's Benchlands.

Cilento Wines

672 Chrislea Rd,
Woodbridge Ontario
L4L 8K9
(905)264-9463
cilento@ica.net

 

Owners Grace and Angelo Locilento fulfilled a life long dream to produce quality wines. The winery located in Woodbridge uses grapes harvested from the Niagara to produce their VQA wines. Along with Winemaker They are noted for their VQA Marechal Foch, Cilento's Cabernet, Riesling and Riesling Icewines.
They boast one of the largest cellars for barrel aging in Ontario. The walls are painted with life-sized murals of old traditional European winemaking activities. A new winery located in Toronto. The custom designed two-story 36,000 square foot facility houses Cilento's winemaking and bottling process, in addition to a retail shop and the winery's administration offices

Winemaker: Terence Van Rooyen
The mandate of the Cilento Winery is to create the best wine available on the market. We are interested in quality above and beyond anything else. We have assembled a tremendous team at Cilento and we all share the same philosophy of producing quality wine that we are proud to sell and that will be superior to any on the market in its class

Cilento Wines made its mark in the arts this winter when it became the Canadian Opera Company's Surtitles^TM sponsor.

Creekside Estate Winery

2170 Fourth Avenue
Jordan Station, Ontario,
L0R 1S0 toll-free: 1 877 262-9463
Fax No.: 905 562-5493
wineryinfo@creeksideestatewinery.com

Creekside Estate began in 1998 as the vision owners Peter Jensen and Laura McCain-Jensen They saw a winery wholly devoted to producing premium VQA wines exclusively from the Niagara Peninsula. They started on 15 acres near Lake Ontario close to the town of Jordan.

A state-of-the-art production facility was built in 1999, featuring stainless steel tanks with extensive refrigeration, a modern bottling line, and an efficient crush pad with a gentle air-bladder press. All additions were steered toward producing wines of uncompromising quality. In 2000, a third building was added to house a showpiece underground barrel cellar with a 600 barrel capacity and an on-site warehouse. This cellar was a state of the art design that captured modern practicality with old-world charm. Creekside has one of the largest underground barrel cellars in Niagara

Creekside's wines have won numerous awards across the entire portfolio, from white wines Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay through red wines Merlot, Cabernet sauvignon and Pinot noir. The company is recognized as an industry leader in pioneering the ever-popular Shiraz as a viable red.

The progression at Creekside continues with numerous projects. By fall 2005, the retail facility will have completed extensive renovations and expansion, with an extended tasting bar, hospitality area, private tasting room and a patio wine bistro and grill. Also upgraded is the product packaging, with a sleek new logo and redesigned label artfully conveying the winery's evolution

Peter Peter Jensen and Laura McCain-Jensen also own Blomidon Estate, located in the beautiful Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia

Winemaker: Rob Power and Craig McDonald
Winemaking Philosophy: An approach to vineyard maintenance that is proactive rather than reactive. Established winemaking practices alongside technological advances for the best small batch winemaking possible.

Cox Creek Cellar Estate Winery

R.R. #5 Guelph , Ontario.
(519) 767-3253 e-mail:
information@coxcreekcellars.on.ca
tours@coxcreekcellars.on.ca

Located near Guelph, owned and operated by the Trochta family. The winery is named after the creek running through the property. The winery traces its winemaking back 200 years into European history. Cox Creek was founded by Mrs. J Jerry Trochta as part of her dream to continue her winemaking heritage. The estate winery is the culmination of her family's hard work and the bounty of the surrounding area. The winery construction started late July 1998 and was completed in time for the November 20 1998 Grand Opening.

Cox Creek Cellars incorporates scenic landscape pictures from around the vineyard property, present on each and every label. Cox Creek Cellars has also been awarded 14 medals in the past 24 months, from Intervin International, Fruit Wines of Canada and the Toronto Wine and Cheese Show.

Cox Creek Cellars Inc. uses natural farming techniques to produce wines of merit and appeal. Their goal is to redefine the nature of fruit wines in Ontario. Committed to integrity and customer satisfaction. The winery is committed to innovation and new product readiness. Cox Creek Cellars is the first fruit winery in Ontario to incorporate chestnut barrels in the aging of their Black Currant and Pinot Noir wines.

Coyote's Run Estate Winery

 

Box 113 Concession 5 Rd. St. David's, ON, L0S1P0

1.877.COYOTE3 (269.6833) or 905.682.8310 
Fax: 905.682.1166

 

Coyote's Run is a small craft winery located on a picturesque vineyard outside the town of St. David 's in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Owned nad opereted by Jeff and Patti Aubry. They are dedicated to producing wines of quality and distinction that are representative of their unique terroir and microclimate. All of Coyote's Run wines are VQA certified and hand-crafted in small batches to ensure that the end product is the highest possible quality.

Despite only opening their doors in May of 2004, Coyote's Run is receiving critical acclaim and has already garnered a number of prestigious awards.  What sets our property apart from others in the Niagara region is the unique terroir, the combination of soil and microclimate that gives our wines a complexity and finesse that is not often found elsewhere.  The vineyard is situated below the St. David's Bench in a high temperature band that is 2-3 degrees warmer than the rest of the Peninsula giving the grapes an extra boost of ripening.  Also, there is a unique dividing line that runs through the property with one side having red clay and the other being black clay.  These two soil types make an amazing difference in the taste of the

wines!

The tasting bar is open daily from 10am -6pm during the summer season (reduced winter hours).  Tours are available by appointment or by chance.

Winemaker: David Sheppard
Winemaking Philosophy:
we are passionate about good wine. Our philosophy is to leverage this passion and produce wines that we can proudly stand behind – hand-crafted wines of quality and distinction that are representative of our unique terroir.

Crown Bench Estates

 

3850 Aberdeen Rd.
Beamsville, ON Canada
LOR 1B7
Tel: +888-537-6192
Fax: +905-563-3441
E-mail: winery@crownbenchestates.com

The winery takes it's name from the crowning position it has on its southern border the Niagara Escarpment, a World Biosphere Reserve. Liva Sipos and her husband Peter Kocsis opened their winery in 1999.

The natural features of the property include streams, waterfalls, ponds (with nesting Canada Geese and ducks) and bordering forests filled with wildlife making Crown Bench a definite destination and not merely a winery.

There is a thirty year old block of Chardonnay along with Pinot Noir

The winery delights in producing Icewine especially flavoured Icewines. Including Ambrosia A chocolate infused Icewine, balancing chocolate and fruit into an unparalleled sinful dessert and A unique aperitif combining ice wine and an infusion of hot peppers.

Winemaker: Peter Kocsis
Winemaking Philosophy: