April always feels like a turning point around here.
The vines are still asleep, but you can sense things beginning to shift. The cellar gets a little busier, plans for the season start to come together, and before long we’re looking ahead to the first real gatherings of the year.
This year, the 1st was also bottling day.
We won’t dive too deeply into it yet (we’ve got more stories to share next month), but there’s always a certain satisfaction watching months of work finally go into bottle.
It’s the moment when the wine stops being a project and starts becoming something you’ll eventually open at your own table.
More on that soon.
🌿In the Vineyard: Winter’s Check-In
March gave us one last little reminder that winter wasn’t quite finished.
An early cold event kept everyone watching the forecasts closely, but by the end of the month things settled down and we could all breathe a little easier.
At this stage of the season, cold and wet weather actually doesn’t matter much.
The vines are still fully dormant (essentially asleep) which means they’re well protected from anything the weather throws at them.
Now that pruning is finished, we’re entering a bit of a waiting game.
Once we pass the final frost window, we’ll remove some of the extra canes we intentionally left behind earlier in the winter. Those“backup branches”help protect the vine if frost damage happens early on.
For now, though, everything in the vineyard is looking steady.
Which is exactly how we like it.
🍷In the Cellar: Barrel Tastings and VQA Submissions
While the vineyard sleeps, most of our attention shifts to the cellar.
March was full ofbarrel tastings, working our way through different lots that will eventually help shape the 2024 reds. These sessions are where the blending ideas start forming, long before anything is finalized.
It’s one of Marty’s favourite parts of the year.
At the same time, we’ve also been preparing submissions forVQA approvalfor several of our aromatic whites.
For those who might not know,VQA(Vintners Quality Alliance) is Ontario’s appellation system. It ensures that wines labeled Niagara are grown here and meet strict standards for origin, grape varieties, and winemaking practices.
In a region like Niagara, that matters. Itprotects the integrity of the winesbeing made and the growers who work hard to produce them.
🍾A Little Warehouse Discovery
Every once in a while, we stumble across a few bottles tucked away in the warehouse.
Maybe they were part of a small lot, maybe a case got shuffled around during inventory, maybe Marty hid them from himself and forgot about them.
Either way, we found a handful of bottles from past releases that deserve a good home.
Each of these wines now hasfewer than 12 bottles remainingand we’ve added them to the website at the same price as our current vintages! First come first served!
Our 2022 Pinot Noir is a delightful, unfiltered wine with a pale ruby color and a touch of haze.
It greets you with inviting aromas of sour cherry, pomegranate, red currant, pink peppercorn,and a hint of baking spice. On the palate, it has a nice balance of vibrant acidity and gentle tannins, offering smooth flavours of red currant, pomegranate, and pink peppercorn, with a delicate finish of peonies.
This Pinot Noir is perfect with duck or mushroom dishes, adding a touch of elegance to your meals with its subtle flavours.
Our 2023 Pinot Grigio is pale lemon green with aromas of guava, Asian pear, and green tea. This dry wine has vibrant acidity, medium alcohol, and a rounded texture with a pleasant bitter finish of pink peppercorn. Pair with spicy Asian dishes or summer salads for a versatile and refreshing choice.
Dive into the robust character of our 2022 Cabernet Franc, a medium ruby wine with a bouquet of black cherry, bramble, hoisin, persimmon, and a hint of menthol and ash. Medium-plus acidity and medium-minus tannin give it a smooth yet lively profile, enriched with flavors of lavender and chalk on the finish. The medium-plus alcohol and body make it a versatile wine, ideal for pairing with grilled meats or hearty stews, capturing the essence of Niagara's diverse terroir.
Every time we launch a newsletter, we do a draw for a 6-pack handpicked by Marty.
It’s not a contest. It’s just our way of saying thanks for reading, for showing up, for telling your friends, and for being part of this thing we’re building.
🎉 This month’s winner: Paula Rock!
You’ll get an email from us soon. Enjoy the bottles, Paula!
Know someone who’d be into this too?
If you’ve got someone in your life who’d dig what we’re doing, send them our way. Whether they’re curious about local wine, love a good cellar story, or just want to stay in the loop, they’re welcome!
