The fruit winery is located in Strathcona County, just 7 km south of Sherwood Park. Rick and Amy Barr have worked in heart research for more than 20 years at the University of Alberta. They use their scientific training to create fruit wines of impeccable quality. Barr Estate Winery is a family business, we all participate in every step. Mike and Jeanette Cholowsky are Amy’s parents and business partners.

Amy's grandfather started growing raspberries on the farm and years later Amy's mom was able to nurture a few of those heritage plants into thousands that we use today when making their wine. 

 

Winemaker: Rick and Amy Barr

Philosophy: we believe in lower temperature fermentation. This helps retain volatiles and esters which translate to improved bouquet and fruit characteristics.

 

Located just west of Beaumont, Alberta lies the family farm. The winery has a rich history, having operated as a family farm for over 35 years before expanding into winemaking. Producing fruit and Haspak wines. The owners are Ann Johsen and her husband Frank.

 

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Away back in 1927 John S. and Eva Chrapko start the homestead that now operates as Orchard Palace and En Santé Winery. Located near the shores of Lac Sante in North Eastern Alberta, 100 miles (160 km) East of Edmonton. Here they took on a leadership role in the community and raised five children.

Their middle son Victor took over the farm in 1974 from his parents along with his wife Elizabeth.
They begin the first steps toward a low-impact, "environmental " approach to cultivating the land.
  In addition, the En Sante orchard operation partnered with the University of Saskatoon in developing hardy fruit varieties that can take advantage of the local soil conditions and growing season.

The whole Chrapko family enjoyed the distinction of being honoured with a provincial “Farm Family Award” in 1990, partly attesting to their ceaseless pursuit of big-picture, modern farming as well as strong citizenship.

In 1997 they began to experiment with fruit wines. In 1999 "Orchard Palace" is designated Certified Organic for agricultural production by Organic Crop Improvement Association International and later in
2001 they pursued the idea of an Organic fruit winery. In their typically forward-thinking style, the Chrapkos began lobbying the Government of Alberta to create the new Alberta Cottage Winery license.  Their efforts attracted other supporters, fruit growers, and the Alberta Beekeepers' Association. After many years, the Cottage Winery Act was recently passed into law

The Forbidden Fruit name was chosen to signal the fact that En Sante's offerings transcend the fruit "corner" of the wine-making world.  After 10 years of refining its recipes and production methods while waiting for the Cottage Winery license to come into existence, En Sante now has wines that are enjoyable with a meal, on their own (sipped like you would enjoy port or sherry), OR as accompaniments to dessert. An official license was received February, 2006, en Santé Winery became Alberta's very first Organic-Fruit, Cottage Winery

En Sante Winery was the original name.

Winemaker: Victor Chrapko

Philosophy: Wine made the way it's supposed to be made" (i.e. using organic fruit).

 

Fallentimber Meadery is located on the Ryan family farm, Northwest of Water Valley, Alberta near the west end of Big Prairie Road (Township Road 302).  About a 50 minute drive from the Calgary city limits.  

Back in 1969, Blake Ryan started the family business when he purchased the family farm and established his first hives.  Today, Blake's son Kevin is the owner and operator of Ryan's Honey which is sold at select stores in our region.  

Home of Meadjito

Winemaker: Kevin Ryan
Philosophy: Our honey is collected from hives placed along a narrow band at the eastern edge of the foothills. This gives our bees access to a wide variety of wildflowers and clover that cover the hills, but limits their exposure to the expansive croplands to the east. In addition to careful hive placement, our honey is meticulously handled, and never pasteurized. All of our meads are produced with Ryan's Honey and that unique flavour comes through in every glass

Field Stone Fruit wines is Alberta’s first cottage winery.  Opening in July of 2005, and located forty minutes east of Calgary, Alberta, the winery sits on 50 acres of mature berry orchards . All wines are produced from luscious crops of raspberries, strawberries, wild black cherries and Saskatoon berries. They selected a name that is associated with Canada's Prairies.

Their award-winning wines include: Bumble berry Fruit Wine, Raspberry Fruit Wine, Cherry Fruit Wine, Black Currant Fruit Wine, Strawberry-Rhubarb Fruit Wine, Saskatoon Berry Dessert Wine, Wild Black Cherry Dessert Wine, Strawberry Dessert Wine, Black Currant Dessert Wine and Raspberry Dessert Wine.

Owned by: Marvin & Elaine Gill, Lynden Gill, Lorraine & Glen Ellingson

signature wines Bumbleberry Fruit Wine, Saskatoon Berry Dessert Wine

Winemaker: Dominic Rivard

Philosophy: Great wine is made from great fruit

 

The winery was founded by JAson Halwa. When starting the winery JAson contacted wine consultant Dominic Rivard. Jason began asking the government for a licence in 2010, It took to 2018 to get the licence.

Sucess would follow hos Dry Oak won the Judge's selction at the 2021 Alberta Bevrage Awards.

The winery is named after an incident when a mose scaled a fence to get to the Saskatoon berries. Joosed means "stolen or robbed"

Besides fruit wines the plans call for making cider.

 

Philosophy:

Situated on the west side of Saskatoon Lake and on the east side of Saskatoon mountain, the Saskatoon berry thrives in this micro-climate.

The owners grandparents came from Costansa, Romainia, a grape growing area from ancient times, they brought with them the traditions of wine, music and dance. They could not grow grapes in this climate, so they turned to the Saskatoon, the only fruit available to them, and they found that the wine was as good if not better, producing a wine that was full bodied and rich in minerals and nutrients.

They also make a sour cherry honey wine

Saskatoon Lake is a medium-sized recreational lake surrounded by agricultural land. It is located in the County of Grande Prairie about 25 km west of the city of Grande Prairie. Saskatoon Lake was originally named by Indians for the Saskatoon berry, which grows profusely

 

A family owned fruit winery in the Alberta High Country. Owners are William and Kritie Gordon.

High Prairie is about 4 hours north of Edmonton near Slave Lake.

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A family owned winery based in Calagary producing wines with Okanagan Grapes. The winery is owned by Jim and Jamie Love. Their dream is to someday have a vineyard and winery in the Okanagan.

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Spirit Hills is owned and operated by the Bonjean family, whose lineage includes generations of French winemakers with vineyards in the Auvergne, France. Spirit Hills produces meads. Spirit Hills integrates organic herbs and berries with ancient honey wine fermentation methods to produce the highest quality of wines with a distinct Alberta flavour

signature meads are Saskwatch, Dande, Redneck and Wild Rose Passion.

Saskwatch is crafted from Alberta's Saskatoons, Black Currants and Spirit Hills honey Winner of the The Alberta Beverage Awards