Robert Bell's

Wines of Canada

Since 1992

 

 

Ontario's South Coast Wineries

Front Road Cellars
Front Road Cellars

A new emerging wine region in Ontario, along the shores of Lake Erie, bridging the gap between the Niagara Region and the Lake Erie North Shore Region. Verification shows that the missionaries Missionaries Dollier and Galinee made wine from grapes in the area in the late 1600s.


Bains Road Cider Company

Dunville Ontario


Geoff and Melissa McDonald, are the owners. There dream began back in 2008 when they purchased renovated a derelict farm property. They are also playing to operate a Fruit winery. Their small farm features an orchard of apples, peaches, pears and mulberry trees, as well as raspberry and blackberry bushes




Blueberry Hill Estate Winery

1195 Front Road
St Williams, ON NOE 1P0.


Located overlooking the Long Point Biosphere Reserve on the winding, scenic Lakeshore Road of Lake Erie in Norfolk County in the Ontario South Coast region. The owners are Angie and Dale Vranckx. Their son Nick is the winemaker. Why the name they are the oldest high bush commercial blueberry farm in Ontario and the winery retail store is located on a hill. Blueberry Hill Estates is a high bush blueberry farm that operates a fruit winery on the premises along with a seasonally opened farm market and pick-your-own blueberry patch.

Why the name they are the oldest high bush commercial blueberry farm in Ontario and the winery retail store is located on a hill. Blueberry Hill Estates is a high bush blueberry farm that operates a fruit winery on the premises along with a seasonally opened farm market and pick-your-own blueberry patch.

Signature wine is Blueberry

Blueberry Hill is a popular place to obtain blueberries and baked goods. The estates is home to a 20-acre high bush blueberry patch, a 50-acre maple sugar bush, winery retail store, farm market and café opening this spring 2015. They also have a large event space on the second floor for educational and entertaining events

Home of Front Road Cellars and Front Road Ciderworks.

They also produce grape wines.

Winemaker: Nick Vranckx
Philosophy: At Blueberry Hill Estates, we insist upon only the best for our wines begins in the field, where they are bathed in sunshine and only the highest quality of fruit is used. Winemaker Nick Vranckx continues this vision during the winemaking process and lets the fruit express its true character with minimal intervention in the cellar. Each sip of our fruit and grape wines are meant to be savoured. Whether that’s on the back deck, sipping a glass of blueberry wine while grilling dinner or pouring sangria for friends — our wine is more than what is in the bottle, it’s about the experience it creates.





Bonnieheath Estate Lavender & Winery

410 Concession 12 Townsend Road
Waterford, ON N0E 1Y0

 


Bonnieheath Estate Winery is an ecological agri-tourism destination that provides a small farm experience through culture and education from field to final product.

Located in the Sand Plain Region of Ontario's South Coast, this Norfolk County former tobacco farm features rocks as well as sand deposits that are remnants of the glacial advancement that created Canada's freshwater Great Lakes.

The owners, Steve & Anita Buehner, are enthusiastically re-purposing this farm which currently includes a 10 acre vineyard, 10,000 plant lavender field, 13 acre apple orchard, naturalized prairie grass buffers, and a wetland.

It was easy to come up with the name. Bonnieheath is a historic farm name. The farmhouse was built by a Colonel William Heath around 1900. He grew up next door in a house that was called 'The Bonnieheath'. The Buehner found papers in their attic that described the farm as the Bonnieheath Fruit Farm.

Guest are invited to enjoying a glass of wine on their 2 story patio with a view of the lavender field and vineyards, or from our gazebo in the lavender field, or by walking a 20 minute tour of our lavender, vineyard, prairie grass planting, and wetland

The winery is opening late 2103. They are working on a lavender ice wine. Named one of Norfolk's Top Ten Amazing Places in 2014 and Sustainable Tourism Ambassador Award winners in January 2015.

"I am a farmer through and through. I enjoy the soil. I love it when people come to walk our farm." Anita Buehner

Winemaker: Terry Rayner
Philosophy: producing the best possible product from the fields at Bonnieheath




Burning Kiln Winery

1709 Front Road, RR 2
St. Williams, ON NOE 1P0


The vineyards and winery are located in Norfolk County, just minutes from Port Dover, Simcoe, the sandy beaches of Turkey Point and overlook the UNECSO designated Long Point World Biosphere Reserve. The name recalls the dangers of early tobacco farming and marks the end of this traditional farming activity. From these ashes and traditions is reborn what the early explorers Dollier and Galinee discovered and wrote about in 1669 - great land, great wine and great adventure! Norfork is located just outside the official Lake Erie North Shore Appellation along the shores of Lake Erie in Norfolk County. The winery opened in 2011  The location was chosen due to the moderating effects of the lake that has well-drained and south sloping sandy loam soils that will impart a distinctive floral nature to the grapes and wine produced. Currently 20 acres of Cabernet Franc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Sauvignon(rare in North America )are planted 

The wineries is a partnership owned by Mike McArthur, Dave Pond, Frank Deleebeeck and and Gordon Malo (Steve Malo Farms Inc.) .


Philosophy: Maintain a high quality and healthy vineyard, employ distinctive and environmentally responsible methods and commit to produce superior quality wines

 




Golden Leaf Estate Winery

2790 Norfolk County Rd. 45
Langton,Ontario

 


Golden Leaf Estate Winery was founded in 2011 by the Shelswell family.  Formerly Florence Estate Winery, the property is an old tobacco farm situated in the sandy loam of Norfolk County, Ontario.   The vineyard was one of the first in the area to develop into a full scale estate winery. 

Andrew brings knowledge and skills to the winery having graduated from Brock University CCOVI program and working on numerous vintages over the past 7 years.   He's worked in Nova Scotia gaining valuable experience in hybrid and vinifera varieties

"We produce French & Spanish style wines, including Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, a Merlot blend similar to a Pomerol, Petite Sirah (Durif), a Ribera Del Duro style Tempranillo, and a Tempranillo Rosé. The Zinfandels and Malbec blends are our own California style."

Winemaker Andrew Shelswell
Philosophy: Believing that high quality wines and spirits begin with the fruit from the vineyard, that follows through to the cellar. Andrew is excited about the potential of the new growing region




Inasphere Wines

1454 Front Road
St Williams, ON NOE 1P0.


Located in beautiful Norfolk County, just minutes from Simcoe, Port Dover and the beach getaway of Turkey Point,
A family (Vranckx family) owned winery better know as R&S Bosgoed farms. R&S Bosgoed are well known vegetable farmers, owned by Ryan and Shantel Bosgoed, 

The winery opened its doors in 2016. It is perfectly situated on the top of a hill, overlooking the many acres of the farm, vineyards, and reclaimed Long Point marshlands that gives Inasphere its unique charm.

Winemaker:  
Philosophy: lets the fruit express its true character with minimal intervention in the cellar.




Quai Du Vin Estate Winery

45811 Fruit Ridge Line RR #5
St.Thomas, ON N5P 3S9



Rob Quai and his wife Lisa operate this 20 acre winery in Elgin County 5 km from Lake Erie. The location doesn't quite fit into the other wine regions however, in the mid 1970's Redi Quai planted a vineyard. His son Roberto and his wife, Lisa, opened the doors of the winery in 1990.

Quai du Vin produces over 90,000 bottles per year and celebrated its "Millionth Bottle" in July, 2002.

Their philosophy is to produce good quality wines at reasonable prices using simple winemaking techniques.
They work hard doing it themselves. They also produce wine jellies.

Winemaker: Jamie Quai
Philosophy: I want to craft wines that people enjoy drinking, within the boundaries of the Ontario wine industry, and within the breadth of my own philosophies on what makes a great wine.

My own philosophy on winemaking stems from a belief that wines should play a supporting role in the experiences of your life: they should compliment your favourite meals, they should help bring friends together, and a great wine accentuates that romantic evening you've been planning!

see Lake Erie North Shore



Rapscallion Wine Co


138 Tinsdale Rd
Port Dover

 

Frisky Baever is owned by Rapscallion Wine Co. The winery was formerly know as Dover Vineyards. A premium vineyard estate located in the southern part of Ontario in the town of Port Dover. The Czerlau family began growing tobacco in Norfolk County in the late 1920s. Along with tobacco, Joseph Czerlau planted grapes and made his own wine on his farm near Vienna Ontario.

The winery is unique producing Amarone style wines, Appassimento, made with dried grapes, they were the first to do so in former tobacco kilns. Brand names are Smoke and Gamble, and Frisky Beaver.

Appassimento: Perfectly ripe, clean bunches of grapes are harvested and placed in former tobacco kilns to partially dry the berries leaving us with concentrated fruit. Using this process it can take days or even weeks to decrease moisture in the berries. When the desired dehydration levels are achieved, the fruit is taken from the kilns, destemmed and crushed to reduce the extraction of green tannin during fermentation to a minimum

Smoke&Gamble Burning Ice, ripe bunches of grapes are dried appassimento style in re-purposed tobacco kilns. Long after the temperature has dropped below freezing, the frozen grapes are then pressed. The berries are hard as marbles and any water content in the grape is frozen solid, only the pure grape alcohol, high in sugars and acidity, is released. This provides a wine of intense sweetness


Winemaker: Rob Gill
Philosophy: Work with soil structures, climate and specific varieties developing the vineyard and planting densities based on the different qualities each site possessed. organic management practices gave the advantage of providing the plants with the opportunity to express their full, unobstructed qualities and potential.



Rolling Grape Winery

260 County Rd 2.
Bailieboro ON


John Drew is the owner and winemaker of Rolling Grape Vineyards. A small family winery about 2 km south of Peterborough. The farm house is locate right in the middle of the vineyard. The grapes were first planted in 2012

 



Rush Creek Wines

R R #2
Aylmer, ON N5H 2R2


Rush Creek Wines is located on the north shores of Lake Erie in the Eastern Region of Elgin County, near the historic village of Sparta.

They offer a high number of different fruit wines and grape wines


Winner of the 2001 National Fruit Wine Maker of the Year award Rush Creek Wines offers a wide variety of wines, from dinner wines to dessert wines, meads (honey wine), maple wine, and very dry wines - they have them all. Using only 100% pure fruit from which the wine is named, no grape base is used.


The next project is to convert the farm house into a larger retail gift area joining alongside  a quaint tea/coffee room. A small menu of lunch items may be added eventually.

Winemaker: Ron Barr
Philosophy:





Villa Nova Estate

R.R.#4, 1449 Concession 13,
Simcoe, ON. N3Y 4K3



May have closed?

Villa Nova Estate located in Norfolk County, Ontario's South Coast . Owned by Carol and Phil Ryan

The winery is located on the eastern edge of Norfolk County, in an area with sandy knolls and loam soils. The-property is bisected by a picturesque ancient river valley. The natural landscape of old pasture, wetlands, forested slopes, and hardwood forest ( Hickory, Butternut, Walnut ) provides habitat for diverse wildlife such as grassland birds, wild turkeys and deer.

They also make cider and Mead.

Winemaker



Wooden Bear L Winery

801 Norfolk Street
South Simcoe, ON
N3Y 4K1



Producing fruit wines and cider

Wooden Bear L Winery is located just south of the Town of Simcoe in Norfolk County.  This area, known as 'Ontario's Garden' is the number one producer of many fruits and vegetables in the province of Ontario.  It boasts a sandy loam soil perfect for the production of these products.

They started the winery as a value-added business for our apple orchard entity - Calmark Orchards Ltd.  Calmark has 50 acres of orchard, growing market and processing apples such as: McIntosh, Empire, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Ida Red and Spy. From these apples and other varieties sourced in Norfolk, they produce varietal and blended apple wines and cider products. 

They also produce grape wines and other fruit wines.  Raw Materials used for these products are also sourced locally.

philosophy: produce small batches of product, using only locally sourced raw ingredients. Adhering to a winemaking process using less abrasive procedures to maintain natural flavours, aromas, colours and textures

 

 

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