During spring break I decided to road trip to Canada with a few friends, there we decided to stop by Southbrook vineyards Canada’s first bio-dynamic winery. All of the information provided was answered by the tasting room personnel or found on their website at “http://www.southbrook.com” The winery and vineyard was located on the Niagara peninsula. They have a continental climate and the two lakes moderate the temperature by retaining heat. The soil they have is rich in minerals such as silt, limestone and shale, the land is located over a glacial lake.They specialized in wines with the grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Petit Verdoit. The red wine was fermented in Vosges French oak barrels while the white was fermented in stainless steel vessels. (southbrook.com)

Southbrook vineyards are certified with by the VQA which stands for the Vitners Quality Alliance, it sets the standards for the appellation and ensures that the wine is made from 100% Ontario-grown grapes. (www.winecountryontario.com) They establish and monitor the sugar level, labeling and grapes for the appellation. There is also no set law for reserve; South brook’s reserve is under the brand Poetica.

South brook vineyards is organic and bio-dynamic and they don’t use synthetic pesticide, fungicide and herbicide. They infuse the soil with various items such as organic egg shells which are high in calcium, horse manure which stimulates beneficial soil life and encourages deeper root growth. They also have sheep which act as lawnmowers by chewing the grass and also use the manure as compost.

In the vinification process the grapes are hand picked and selected by hand and not machines. The vines are pruned mid April and picked late September/ early October. The Vidal grapes are especially picked for ice wine at negative eight degrees in accordance to the VQA law. There is no advertising on television or the radio; but it is part of Niagara on the lake.

The wine tasting they offered was ten dollars for four wines but it was offered free with the purchase of two wines. The wines I decide to try were the wild ferment chardonnay, estate 2013, ice wine Vidal 2014, ice wine Vidal  2006 and also the framboise fruit wine. The wild ferment was aged 20 months in the Vosges French oak with no cultured yeast added. It was not fine and filtered because there were noticeable sediments and the taste was oaky, with hints of apples and pears. The ice wine Vidal 2014 in comparison to 2006 was that the 2006 was sweeter and had stronger hints of peach and caramel, it also had a darker amber color and it was one of the wines I enjoyed so much I purchased it. The framboise fruit wine was very sweet with hints of raspberry and a high alcohol content.

reference:

http://www.southbrook.com

http://winecountryontario.ca/wine-101/what-is-vqa