Southbrook Vineyards

On the weekend Paul and I decided to pop into a few wineries on our way back from shopping in the US. Once again we were able to revel directly in delight at how wonderful Ontario wines have become. As we went from winery to winery we passed this cherry orchard in bloom - what was I to do but pull the car over and get a pic?

We stopped in at a new winery (well, it was a new building anyway) that had opened up since we were last in the area. For years, Southbrook Winery was known for its production of sweet fruit wines. They didn't stop there and now, after 25 years, Southbrook Winery has evolved into Southbrook Vineyards. Building on its reputation for producing exceptional, ageable wines, Southbrook is now growing grapes on its new 150 acre property in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Southbrook’s new domaine features a stunning LEED-certified building, designed by Canadian architect Jack Diamond to “sit lightly on the land.”This 850 square metre hospitality facility officially opened June 22, 2008, and completes the site, which also includes a 900 square metre winery and equipment building, a house for vineyard workers and a warehouse. The building, designed to be part of the environment and sustainable for many years, easily complements the existing natural beauty of the land.

Building on 60 years of agricultural heritage, Southbrook’s connectedness with the land and the vineyard drives their dedication to extend that same energy and respect to our winemaking, our business practices, and our customer experience. Recently Southbrook became the first winery in Canada to release a wine that has been certified as biodynamic.

To enter the winery tasting room you walk over a huge reflecting pond . . .

The tasting room is stunning - clean, open, with a huge glass wall overlooking one of Canada's most environmentally sensitive vineyards. I confess that I was a skeptic - I have been in my sharing of wineries where the architecture is stunning but this show of grandeur hides the plonk being poured inside!

I was happily surprised when I pulled up to the wooden tasting bar. Paul and I split a tasting of their reserve reds - a flight of Cab/Merlot blend. This vertical tasting pulled us back to a 2000 reserve wine that was stunning.

This is what the experts have to say:

This wine's appearance is characterized by a brilliant hue and deep dark purple colour. A blend of 55% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, this dense red wine is as richly indulgent as it is complex. The most powerful aromas include crushed red berries, dried plum and maraschino cherries. Softer aromas include green bean, chocolate and coffee.

The wine demonstrates awesome structure in the mouth, with gripping tannins, good acid and a massively long finish. The flavour is outstanding with copious quantities of red fruit exploding in the mouth. Enjoy a bottle of Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Merlot with grilled beef tenderloin or your favourite blue cheese. Drink up to fourteen years after vintage date.

We might not have gotten all of that but we did know it was great! So great that a case made its way into our car! MMMMMM

Comments

[Altec Bucket Trucks]

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[Jerry]

There is so much for us to be thinking about, isn't there?

[Bucket Truck]

Cool Blog. I found it very interesting. I have always wanted to go to a winery. Thanks for sharing. Check out my site sometime.

[Bucket Truck]

interesting post! thanks for sharing!