Robert Bell's

Wines of Canada

Since 1992

Featured Winery

Flat Rock Cellars

2727 Seventh Avenue
Jordan, ON L0R 1S0

The highly praised winery is located in Jordan Village, Ontario on the Niagara Peninsula. Jordan Village is situated amidst the wineries of the Niagara Escarpment, just off the QEW at exit 55. You won’t find any superstores here, just charming specialty shops that feature one-of-a-kind items, exclusive artworks, and stunning home & garden décor.

Flat Rock Cellars is solely owned and operated by its founder – Ed Madronich. Born and raised in the area, the winery is the fulfillment of a dream shared by his father and son. In 1954, his father applied for a winery license, but was denied.

When owner Ed Madronich, a Toronto lawyer, found that Jordan Summit was not available, he remembered the unusual flat rocks in a ravine on the property and crafted a new name for the winery that opened in 2004. The winery's tasting room commands a view over undulating vineyards that surround it, and beyond, to Lake Ontario and the distant Toronto skyline

Set into the side of a hill, the winery was cleverly designed as a gravity flow winery. The winery is filled with technical innovations, including a geothermal heating and cooling system. At the heart of this are 4,572 metres/15,000 feet of pipes snaking back and forth at the bottom of the small man-made lake beside the winery. Heat exchangers give the winery the option of cooling wine tanks or heating the winery, as required. The advantage is a green image and inexpensive climate control.

The winery has 65-acre vineyard, and is very tightly focused on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling.
Flat Rock is releasing all its wines, red and white, in bottles that have screw-cap closure.

David Sheppard is the winemaker. He was named winemaker of the Year at the Ontario Wine awards 2021. David began his celebrated career over 40 years ago. Sheppard began making wine in the Mittelrhein region of Germany in 1980 when he worked for a small family-run winery. After that he worked for 21 years at Inniskillin in Niagara-on-the-Lake under the tutelage of the late wine pioneer Karl Kaiser.

When asked : What is the biggest difference between now and when you started 40 years ago in the Ontario wine industry? David answered: RESPECT!!!! Respect of the wines and the industry. The world of wine related suppliers now come to us with their wares, whereas in the 1980s we had to seek them out as we really weren’t identified as a viable market for them. Same deal with consumers who formerly had to be convinced to even try our wines.

In 2021 David will be going into semi retirement. He will be a consultant for the winery.

When Asked : What part of your career are you most proud of? He answered My days with Karl Kaiser was a time when we as an industry had to work so hard to prove ourselves when virtually everyone in our own backyard was either skeptical, or dead set against the notion of fine Ontario made wines from Ontario grown grapes. Proving the naysayers wrong has been incredibly rewarding.

Assistant winemaker Allison Findlay will take over for David.

Platinum winning wine Flat Rock 2016 Nadja’s Vineyard Riesling, Twenty Mile Bench at Nationals

Flat Rock Cellars has been awarded the #SafeTravels Stamp. The Safe Travels Stamp is an international symbol designed to allow travellers to recognize governments and companies around the world, which have adopted health and hygiene, standardized protocols.

The winery focus on three varietals Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling.

Flat Rock Cellars is a Certified Sustainability Winery

Welcome to Robert Bell's Winesofcanada.com ! This is a personal website. We do not represent the wine industry or any aspect of the Canadian Government. We have been promoting Canada's wines and wineries since 1992. We do not sell or purchase any products. Please enjoy the website. Your comments are welcome.

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