Featured Winemaker
Emma Garner
Emma is a graduate of the Oenology and Viticulture program at Brock University. She has also travelled to Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany and British Columbia developing her passion for fine wines.
Emma began working at Hillebrand Winery, where she made wine in various capacities until 2005 when she began working for Thirty Bench Wine Makers. In 2010 she garnered the desirable Thirty Bench winemaker position. Emma believes in allowing the vineyard to express itself by making wine with minimal intervention. She loves working with Rieslings and ferments them at low temperatures to retain as many aromatic compounds as possible resulting in wines bursting with complexity and intensity.
2014 Thirty Bench Small Lot Riesling Wood Post Vineyard was award the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Ontario Wines. In 2015, Thirty Bench was recognized with awards for Canada’s Small Winery of the Year and Winemaker of the Year.
Emma’s approach to winemaking, which is based on allowing the vineyard to express its own voice by making wine with minimal intervention, has caught the attention of the Canadian wine community.
"I love the fact that food and wine are the driving factors for why I go to work every day. Knowing that I can contribute to the enjoyment of life for people really keeps me motivated ."
Thirty Bench Wine Makers is a Small Lot winery on the Niagara Escarpment’s Beamsville Bench.
Emma particularly enjoys working with Rieslings. Her signature method of fermenting at low temperatures creates enhanced aromatic compounds in wines that burst with complexity and intensity. Emma’s meticulous winemaking craft is on full display with her Red wine portfolio as well. Thirty Bench is the one of the most awarded winery in Canada, winning many gold and platinum awards from national as well as international competitions. Just recently, the 2015 Small Lot Cabernet Franc won the coveted Best in Show distinction by Decanter Magazine, the first Canadian winery to win this award for a premium wine.
Other featured pages:
~ Featured Winemakers
~ Featured Wine
~ Featured Winery
~ Women of Wine
~ Robert's Selections