Owners and brothers Geoff and Anthony Hall named their winery in honor of their children – one brother has sons, the other has daughters so the name is pretty obvious! Along with their adviser Angelo and brother-in-law Dan Sherrington, we sat down for a chat about wine and the challenges of starting a brand new winery in an area far from the lake, higher in altitude and with a different soil composition than the Bench. During the tasting, we discussed the idea of doing pizza and wine pairings (YUM!) and found out more about the coffee they have on site as well. You’ll love exploring their wines, walking the trails and enjoying the beautiful scenery when you visit. Produced by Lukas Sluzar, recorded June 4, 2025 Show notes: www.sonsanddaughterswinery.com Wines sampled: 2022 Sparkling Riesling, 2022 Riesling, 2021 Rose, 2023 Delta White (40% skin fermented Riesling), 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022 Baco Noir
Yvonne Irvine is the assistant winemaker at Creekside and is also the winemaker and owner of her own virtual winery Maenad. Yvonne shares some insights in the positives and negatives of being a virtual winemaker – one positive being she has full control over every aspect of the wines and can be very creative. Her creativity shines in the very unique and innovative wines we tasted like Piquettes and Pet-Nats, as well as more traditional varietals like Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc. It’s our first episode with a virtual winemaker and after listening, I’m sure you’ll be ready to arrange a visit and buy these amazing wines. Produced by Lukas Sluzar, recorded June 4, 2025 Show notes: www.maenadwines.com Wines sampled: 2021 Piquette, Vidal Petnat fermented with peaches and sumac, Vidal Petnat fermented with Concord grapes and tarragon, 2021 Chardonnay Grimsby Hillside, 2021 Skin Fermented Chardonnay, 2024 Vignoier Grimsby Hill, 2023 Cabernet Franc Grimsby Hillside
Owners Bob and Marzia Murdoch really did a complete 180 in life when they quit their corporate jobs and bought a winery in Jordan. (hence the winery name – 180 Estate Winery.) The winery, formerly known as Di Profio was purchased by the Murdochs in 2021 and they set out to achieve their goal of getting people to come to the winery to enjoy themselves and relax. Since Marzia is Italian, they like to explore the Italian style of wine making like Appassimento and Ripasso, and we talk a bit about the process of making wine in that style. Per usual, we also discuss food pairings and taste some excellent wines. It’s a short but sweet chat with two wonderful people! Produced by Lukas Sluzar, recorded June 4, 2025 Show notes: www.180wines.ca Wines sampled: 2023 Sparkling Rose, 2024 Pinot Grigio, Living the Dream (blend), 2021 Gamay Noir Reserve, 2022 Bourbon Gamay, 2021 Ripasso, 2020 Meritage
In this episode, we make a return visit to Kacaba to chat with the new winemaker Chris Robinson. Chris is bringing a lot of passion and experience to his new role at Kacaba and we began our conversation by chatting about the importance of cleanliness in the cellars and how it affects the wine. Chris also explained what the three pillars of sustainability are in order to be called a sustainable winery. We have an interesting conversation about wine clones , root stocks and pruning before we taste some of the new white wines Kacaba has released. But don’t worry fans of red wine – we also taste a couple of wonderful new red wines and learn more fun facts about Syrah. You’ll definitely want to explore the white wines of Kacaba after listening to this episode! Produced by Lukas Sluzar, recorded May 7, 2027 Show notes: www.kacaba.com Wines sampled: 2024 Unoaked Chardonnay, 2024 Susan’s Sauvignon Blanc, 2024 Fume Blanc Scheuele Vineyard, 2024 Vignoier, 2023 Pinot Noir, 2023 Reserve Syrah
Three amateur winemakers, a doctor, a lawyer and a professor got together in 1980 and bought the land that become Thirty Bench. Winemaker Emma Garner talks with Andrea about the first plantings of Riesling grapes in 1980, and the way the soil hanging onto the water affects the tastes of grapes, which naturally affects the taste of the wine. Emma sheds some light on the origins of the myth about Riesling tasting sweet too. We also chat about the reasons why Pinot Noir is a difficult grape, and get some insights into the Cabernet Franc grape too. You’ll also discover how the shape of a wine glass can amplify the taste of the wine. It’s a fun and insightful episode, and you’ll definitely want to schedule a visit to Thirty Bench afterwards. Produced by Lukas Sluzar, recorded May 7, 2025 Show notes: www.thirtybench.com Wines sampled: Sparkling Riesling, 2021 Small Lot Riesling, 2021 Small Lot Chardonnay, 2021 Small Lot Pinot Noir, 2022 Winemakers Blend, 2020 Small Lot Cabernet Franc
Hidden Bench is an organic winery and produces 100% estate wine using only grapes grown on the property. Andrea chats with winemaker Alex Baines about the process of becoming a certified organic winery and what that means for the taste and quality of the wines. We also get to taste a concrete fermented and aged Sauvignon Blanc (Beton) . The concrete gives the wine a great texture and weight and adds a unique salinity and brininess to the wine. It was Andrea’s first time tasting wine made this way and it was absolutely incredible. Alex also explains the fine art of working hard to appear invisible in the winemaking process. It’s a great conversation spotlighting fantastic wines that you are sure to enjoy. Produced by Lukas Sluzar, recorded May 7, 2025 Show notes: www.hiddenbench.com Wines sampled: 2018 Natur (sparkling), 2019 Romans Block Riesling, 2022 Beton Sauvignon Blanc, 2021 Chardonnay, 2021 Gamay, 2022 Pinot Noir
Judging by the name, one might think Organized Crime is an Italian Mafia winery. However, when our host Andrea Morris speaks with Owner Ania De Deluba and winemaker Greg Yemen, we discover the incredibly interesting story behind the name. It comes from a battle between two Mennonite churches, resulting in a church pipe organ being stolen and thrown into a ravine. You’ll enjoy hearing the whole story, as well as the history of the winery, and their goal to create quaffable wines. We hear the story behind the beautiful platinum award winning Sacred Series Cuve Krystyna – a wine that is a tribute to Ania’s mother. We also have a fun discussion about Pinot Noir clones, corks vs screw tops and unfiltered wines. You’ll learn a lot and I guarantee you’ll want to visit this fantastic winery with beautiful views. Produced by Lukas Sluzar, recorded March 12, 2025 Show notes: www.organizedcrimewinery.com Wines sampled: 2023 Riesling, 2021 Limestone Block Chardonnay, 2020 Sacred Series Cuve Krystyna, 2022 Break In Pinot Not, 2019 Sacred Series Cabernet Franc, 2022 Sacred Series Unfilter 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc
If only you could see the beautiful view while listening to Andrea Morris chat with Flat Rock owner Ed Mardonich! It’s a stunning location with beautiful wines, named for the abundance of flat rocks they discovered while doing drainage for the vineyard. During our tasting, Ed challenges our preconceived notions of wine tasting and we taste red wines before whites. It really is a much better way to enjoy a tasting. Ed also sheds some light on how the number of taste buds on your tongue detect differences in taste. We also touch on how sustainability and community are very important to Flat Rock while tasting the Good Karma chardonnay. 100% of the proceeds from this wine go directly to Feed Ontario. Now you can drink wine for a good cause while listening to this episode! Produced by Lukas Sluzar, recorded March 12, 2025 Show notes: www.flatrockcellars.com Wines sampled: 2023 Foundation Pinot Noir, 2020 Gravity Pinot Noir, 2021 Rusty Shed Chardonnay, 2023 Good Karma Chardonnay, 2023 Nadja’s Vineyard Riesling, 2015 Nadja’s Vineyard Riesling
In this episode we travel slightly above the Niagara escarpment for a chat with Wescott’s winemaker Casey Kulczik. Wescott is a winery that is keen on nurturing the micro flora and fauna on the property to produce wines that truly represent the place of where they are. Andrea and Casey start off their tasting with the Blanc de Noir from the Brilliant series. (a brilliant idea for sure!) It led to an interesting discussion about wild fermentation – describing the yeast as minions and the winemaker as Gru. Casey’s passion for winemaking is front and center in this episode and he also explains why vineyard always face north/south. You’ll definitely want to schedule a visit to Wescott after listening to this episode. Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded February 19, 2025 Show notes: www.westcottvineyards.com Wines sampled: Brilliant Blanc de Noirs, 2021 Pinot Noir Butlers Grant old Vines, 2021 Pinot Noir Estate, 2022 Chardonnay Estate, 2021 Chardonnay Block 76, 2022 Chardonnay Butlers Grant Old Vines
Andrea had so much fun chatting with Ilia and Nadia Sawchuk, owners of Leaning Post Winery, that we had to extend the interview to a second episode. In Part 2, we taste the wonderful red wines we have to offer, starting off with two Pinot Noirs. Pinot Noir is a fussy grape to grow, but it’s a beautiful fruit that produces a full bodied wine with less alcohol content. Ilia refers to it as the Emo punk brother of Chardonnay, but Nadia and Andrea referred to it as the Pedro Pascal of wine. (YUM!) We chatted about the supportive wine community in the Bench reason, and discovered the story behind the winery name, Leaning Post. There are lots of laughs and more t-shirt slogans in this episode! Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded February 19, 2025 Show notes: www.leaningpostwines.com Wines sampled: 2020 Pinot Noir Hemeris Vineyard, 2020 Pinot Noir Senchuk Vineyard, 2020 Syrah Keczan Vineyard, Cuvee Heritage Vintage 2020
Ilya and Nadia Senchuk – owners of Leaning Post Winery revealed to our host, Andrea Morris, that the dream of owning a winery actually started as pillow talk, then expanded to numbers on a napkin and eventually led to a search for the right property. After losing three bids for vineyards, they decided to rent a house with some vines on the property, which eventually became Leaning Post. Their passion for wine is evident in this episode when Nadia becomes emotional while speaking about showcasing their wines to a journalist. Their goal as winery owner is to be a warm and welcoming place to showcase what the Niagara region has to offer, with a focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but also expanding to other varietals. If you’re not a Chardonnay fan, Nadia says “challenge accepted” and she will help you to see the beauty in this wine. This episode is full of great quotes like “Chardonnay is the pizza of wine”, and is brimming over with passion and love for wine. You’ll definitely want to make the trip to the “edge of glory” to experience their wines after listening to his episode! Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded February 19, 2025 Show Notes: www.leaningpostwines.com Wines sampled:2021 Riesling Grimsby Hillside, 2021 Chardonnay, 2021 Chardonnay Senchuk Vineyard
In part two of Andrea’s interview with Thomas Bachelder – owner/winemaker of Bachelder Estates, we taste some wonderful wines. We start off with comparing Gamay Noir wines from Niagara and Bench vineyards, comparing color, taste and the aromas. During the tasting we learn how the colour of red wine is effected by the volume in the glass. As we progress to sipping Chardonnays, Thomas shares some insights on the expense of making wines, and the factors like barrel aging, hand picking, the age of the vines and the craftsmanship that can raise the price of a bottle. And before our tasting of three spectacular Pinot Noirs, Thomas coins a new t-shirt slogan: Great wine elevates humanity! (yes, we are thinking of some Spill the Wine merch!) This episode should really peak your interest in the Bench area wines. Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded January 29, 2025 Show notes: Bachelder: www.bachelderniagara.com Wines sampled: 2022 Gamay Noir Kirby, 2022 Gamay Noir Wismer Foxcroft, 2022 Chardonnay Wismer Foxcroft, 2022 Chardonnay, Hill of Wingfield, 2022 Chardonnay Frontier Block, 2022 Pinot Noir Wismer Parke, 2022 Pinot Noir Wild West End, 2022 Pinot Noir Hanck
This is the first episode of Spill the Wine that doesn’t include a wine tasting! The conversation Andrea Morris had with Thomas Bacherlder – owner/winemaker of Bachelder Estates was so interesting it needed a full episode to itself. Thomas’ journey as a winemaker began in Montreal, then led to Burgundy, Oregon and finally, Beamsville, which has the climate and terroir for making the Burgundy style wines he loves– Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (and Gamay too!) You will learn about the difference between Domaine and Chateau wineries, what “mapping” a region means, and the terroir differences between the Bench and Niagara wine regions. Thomas also explains elevage, the aging of wine in barrels and goes into detail about the effects both old and new barrels have on the taste of wine. He even provides some fun ideas to help you plan a trip to the Bench wine region. You will DEFINITELY learn a lot about winemaking from this episode. Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded January 29, 2025 Show notes: Bachelder : www.bachelderniagara.com
If you’re a fan of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, this is a winery you MUST visit! Our host, Andrea Morris, speaks with Cloudsley owner Adam Lowy about the reasons for focusing on these two grape varietals, and the choice to outsource their grapes from outstanding growers in the Bench area. Adam talks about making wines that don’t make your mouth tired. He provided another great statement regarding wine: “Wine is a snapshot of the time and the place the grapes were grown.” They also discuss the challenges of promoting Ontario wines across Canada and around the world, the effect of winter weather on grapes and the reason for different styles of glasses when drinking wine. You’ll definitely enjoy this episode! Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded January 29, 2025 Show notes: www.cloudsleycellars.com Wines sampled: 2022 Chardonnay 20 Mile Bench, 2022 Chardonnay Wingfield, 2022 Chardonnay Foxcroft, 2021 Pinot Noir 20 Mile Bench, 2021 Pinot Noir Hanck, 2021 Pinot Noir Parke
Calamus Estate Winery is quite unique, as it is the only winery in the Niagara Bench area that has a telescope on site. Plus, it’s also proud to be a democratic winery, where their wine club members are a part of the process of picking wines. Our host, Andrea Morris, speaks with Peter Van Helsdingen, the owner of the winery, regarding the many events they host featuring astronomy and wine, and about his approach to winemaking. They share found memories of their fathers while tasting a wonderful double barreled Cabernet Sauvignon. During the course of the episode, Peter also coined one of Andrea’s new favourite slogans: life is too short to have a glass of wine you don’t prefer. Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 30, 2024 Show notes: Calamus Estate Winery: www.calamuswines.com Wines sampled: Crackle Sparkling wine, Pinot Grigio, Unoaked Chardonnay, 2020 Meritage Reserve, 202 Appassimento, 2019 Williams Double Barreled Cabernet Sauvignon
In this episode, Andrea visits with Rob Harold and Joe Schenck, the co-owners of King and Victoria Winery. They have a genuine enthusiasm for making wine and look at each wine as one of their babies. Rob and Joe share the story of how they found the property and started the winery, and explain why their wine club is named for a group of vultures (The Committee). They share some of their innovative ways for making wine, like wrapping a blanket around a tank to get the wine to the correct temperature. Their passion and love of wine making shines through in this episode and you’ll appreciate their desire to bring people tougher with wine and food. I guarantee you’ll want to visit King and Victoria after listening to this episode! Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 30, 2024 Show notes: King and Victoria : www.kingandvictoria.com Wines sampled: 2023 Reisling, Chardonnay, Gamay Nouveau, 2019 Pinot Noir, 2021 Pinot Noir, 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon
This episode provides tons of insights into the art of winemaking. Andrea Morris chats with 16 Mile cellar winemaker Morgan Juniper. Morgan shares information about the biodynamic approach to winemaking and talks about emotional winemaking versus lab driven winemaking. Bet you didn’t know that was a thing! In addition, for the first time on the podcast, we discuss ladybugs, particularly the multicoloured Asian lady beetles, and the negative effect they can have on wine. Of course, we also taste some magnificent wines, and experience the first tastings of wine in it’s very early stages, straight from the tank. You will definitely learn a lot from this episode. Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 30, 2024 Show notes: 16 miles cellar vineyards & winery: www.16milecellar.com Wines sampled: Rebel 202 Chardonay, Civility 2018 unfiltered Chardonnay, Rebel 2018 Pinot Noir Gamay, Incivility 2018 Pinot Noir Unfiltered, White Pinot from the vat, Rose from the vat
In this episode, our host, Andrea Morris, visits with Wending Home Estate winemaker Ron Giesbrecht, who is well renowned in the Niagara wine making circles. Ron has over 40 years of experience in the wine business – including research, wine making and teaching as a college professor. He has a unique approach to wine making and enjoys experimenting with unique grape varieties. In addition to tasting some award- winning wines, we also laugh a lot and learn quite a bit about the history of wine both in Niagara and abroad. Fun fact I learned from this episode: the oldest know winery in the world is in the Republic of Georgia. You’ll also learn why Ron refers to Chardonnay as the chicken of the vineyard. It truly is a fun and educational episode. Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 2, 2024 Show notes: Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery: www.wendinghome.ca Wines sampled: 2020 Riesling, 202 Wending North (white blend), 202 Chardonnay, 2021 Estate Gamay, 2020 Pinot Noir, 2019 Cabernet Franc, 2020 Cabernet Franc.
A wine tasting with Nathan and Dave at Dobbin Estate is like a fairy tale. Andrea met them at the foot of the tower (the adult treehouse as they call it) , and proceeded to the second floor to hear the story of the winery and taste some spectacular wines. Nathan and Dave explained their reasoning for opting for an organic approach to wine making and talked in detail about the challenges of organic grape growing. The result is not your $20 bottle of wine, but understanding the work involved in the process justifies the price. You’ll definitely want to visit Dobbin Estates after listening to this episode. Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 2, 2024 Show notes: Dobbin Estate Winery: www.dobbinestate.com Wines sampled: Chardonnay 2019, Cabernet Blend 2020, Dry Riesling 2019, Riesling 2019
Len Pennachetti from Cave Spring is well known in the Niagara Wine region and his years in the business resulted in one of our most informative podcast episodes. Andrea and Len began their discussion by addressing the pretentiousness of wine, which Len had a very interesting take on. Throughout the course of the conversation and wine tasting, we learn some fun facts about the traditional method of champagne, the importance of one’s nose when appreciating wine and food, and how great wines don’t age – they evolve. You’ll definitely learn a lot from this episode. Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 2, 2024 Show notes: Cave Spring Tasting Room/Vineyard: www.cavespring.ca Wines sampled: Blanc de Blancs NV, Riesling CSV 2020, Chardonnay