In part two of Andrea’s interview with Thomas Bachelder – owner/winemaker of Bachelder Estates, we taste some wonderful wines. We start off with comparing Gamay Noir wines from Niagara and Bench vineyards, comparing color, taste and the aromas. During the tasting we learn how the colour of red wine is effected by the volume in the glass. As we progress to sipping Chardonnays, Thomas shares some insights on the expense of making wines, and the factors like barrel aging, hand picking, the age of the vines and the craftsmanship that can raise the price of a bottle. And before our tasting of three spectacular Pinot Noirs, Thomas coins a new t-shirt slogan: Great wine elevates humanity! (yes, we are thinking of some Spill the Wine merch!) This episode should really peak your interest in the Bench area wines.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded January 29, 2025

Show notes: Bachelder: www.bachelderniagara.com

Wines sampled: 2022 Gamay Noir Kirby, 2022 Gamay Noir Wismer Foxcroft, 2022 Chardonnay Wismer Foxcroft, 2022 Chardonnay, Hill of Wingfield, 2022 Chardonnay Frontier Block, 2022 Pinot Noir Wismer Parke, 2022 Pinot Noir Wild West End, 2022 Pinot Noir Hanck

This is the first episode of Spill the Wine that doesn’t include a wine tasting! The conversation Andrea Morris had with Thomas Bacherlder – owner/winemaker of Bachelder Estates was so interesting it needed a full episode to itself. Thomas’ journey as a winemaker began in Montreal, then led to Burgundy, Oregon and finally, Beamsville, which has the climate and terroir for making the Burgundy style wines he loves– Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (and Gamay too!) You will learn about the difference between Domaine and Chateau wineries, what “mapping” a region means, and the terroir differences between the Bench and Niagara wine regions. Thomas also explains elevage, the aging of wine in barrels and goes into detail about the effects both old and new barrels have on the taste of wine. He even provides some fun ideas to help you plan a trip to the Bench wine region. You will DEFINITELY learn a lot about winemaking from this episode.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded January 29, 2025

Show notes: Bachelder : www.bachelderniagara.com

If you’re a fan of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, this is a winery you MUST visit! Our host, Andrea Morris, speaks with Cloudsley owner Adam Lowy about the reasons for focusing on these two grape varietals, and the choice to outsource their grapes from outstanding growers in the Bench area. Adam talks about making wines that don’t make your mouth tired. He provided another great statement regarding wine: “Wine is a snapshot of the time and the place the grapes were grown.” They also discuss the challenges of promoting Ontario wines across Canada and around the world, the effect of winter weather on grapes and the reason for different styles of glasses when drinking wine. You’ll definitely enjoy this episode!

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded January 29, 2025

Show notes: www.cloudsleycellars.com

Wines sampled: 2022 Chardonnay 20 Mile Bench, 2022 Chardonnay Wingfield, 2022 Chardonnay Foxcroft, 2021 Pinot Noir 20 Mile Bench, 2021 Pinot Noir Hanck, 2021 Pinot Noir Parke

Calamus Estate Winery is quite unique, as it is the only winery in the Niagara Bench area that has a telescope on site. Plus, it’s also proud to be a democratic winery, where their wine club members are a part of the process of picking wines. Our host, Andrea Morris, speaks with Peter Van Helsdingen, the owner of the winery, regarding the many events they host featuring astronomy and wine, and about his approach to winemaking. They share found memories of their fathers while tasting a wonderful double barreled Cabernet Sauvignon. During the course of the episode, Peter also coined one of Andrea’s new favourite slogans: life is too short to have a glass of wine you don’t prefer.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 30, 2024

Show notes: Calamus Estate Winery: www.calamuswines.com

Wines sampled: Crackle Sparkling wine, Pinot Grigio, Unoaked Chardonnay, 2020 Meritage Reserve, 202 Appassimento, 2019 Williams Double Barreled Cabernet Sauvignon

In this episode, Andrea visits with Rob Harold and Joe Schenck, the co-owners of King and Victoria Winery. They have a genuine enthusiasm for making wine and look at each wine as one of their babies. Rob and Joe share the story of how they found the property and started the winery, and explain why their wine club is named for a group of vultures (The Committee). They share some of their innovative ways for making wine, like wrapping a blanket around a tank to get the wine to the correct temperature. Their passion and love of wine making shines through in this episode and you’ll appreciate their desire to bring people tougher with wine and food. I guarantee you’ll want to visit King and Victoria after listening to this episode!

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 30, 2024

Show notes: King and Victoria : www.kingandvictoria.com

Wines sampled: 2023 Reisling, Chardonnay, Gamay Nouveau, 2019 Pinot Noir, 2021 Pinot Noir, 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon

This episode provides tons of insights into the art of winemaking. Andrea Morris chats with 16 Mile cellar winemaker Morgan Juniper. Morgan shares information about the biodynamic approach to winemaking and talks about emotional winemaking versus lab driven winemaking. Bet you didn’t know that was a thing! In addition, for the first time on the podcast, we discuss ladybugs, particularly the multicoloured Asian lady beetles, and the negative effect they can have on wine. Of course, we also taste some magnificent wines, and experience the first tastings of wine in it’s very early stages, straight from the tank. You will definitely learn a lot from this episode. Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 30, 2024 Show notes: 16 miles cellar vineyards & winery: www.16milecellar.com Wines sampled: Rebel 202 Chardonay, Civility 2018 unfiltered Chardonnay, Rebel 2018 Pinot Noir Gamay, Incivility 2018 Pinot Noir Unfiltered, White Pinot from the vat, Rose from the vat

In this episode, our host, Andrea Morris, visits with Wending Home Estate winemaker Ron Giesbrecht, who is well renowned in the Niagara wine making circles. Ron has over 40 years of experience in the wine business – including research, wine making and teaching as a college professor. He has a unique approach to wine making and enjoys experimenting with unique grape varieties. In addition to tasting some award- winning wines, we also laugh a lot and learn quite a bit about the history of wine both in Niagara and abroad. Fun fact I learned from this episode: the oldest know winery in the world is in the Republic of Georgia. You’ll also learn why Ron refers to Chardonnay as the chicken of the vineyard. It truly is a fun and educational episode.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 2, 2024

Show notes: Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery: www.wendinghome.ca

Wines sampled: 2020 Riesling, 202 Wending North (white blend), 202 Chardonnay, 2021 Estate Gamay, 2020 Pinot Noir, 2019 Cabernet Franc, 2020 Cabernet Franc.

A wine tasting with Nathan and Dave at Dobbin Estate is like a fairy tale. Andrea met them at the foot of the tower (the adult treehouse as they call it) , and proceeded to the second floor to hear the story of the winery and taste some spectacular wines. Nathan and Dave explained their reasoning for opting for an organic approach to wine making and talked in detail about the challenges of organic grape growing. The result is not your $20 bottle of wine, but understanding the work involved in the process justifies the price. You’ll definitely want to visit Dobbin Estates after listening to this episode.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 2, 2024

Show notes: Dobbin Estate Winery: www.dobbinestate.com

Wines sampled: Chardonnay 2019, Cabernet Blend 2020, Dry Riesling 2019, Riesling 2019

Len Pennachetti from Cave Spring is well known in the Niagara Wine region and his years in the business resulted in one of our most informative podcast episodes. Andrea and Len began their discussion by addressing the pretentiousness of wine, which Len had a very interesting take on. Throughout the course of the conversation and wine tasting, we learn some fun facts about the traditional method of champagne, the importance of one’s nose when appreciating wine and food, and how great wines don’t age – they evolve. You’ll definitely learn a lot from this episode.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 2, 2024

Show notes: Cave Spring Tasting Room/Vineyard: www.cavespring.ca

Wines sampled: Blanc de Blancs NV, Riesling CSV 2020, Chardonnay

In this episode, we discover how land that was once an old air force training site, The Beamsville Aerodrome, has developed into a top tier winery. Andrea and Taylor Emerson discuss the evolution of the winery from the reasons for choosing to purchase this particular plot of land, the grape choices and the decision to create Old World style wines. During the course of the conversation and wine tasting, we also get creative – comparing wine tasting to driving and changing lanes, describing wine as a luggage tag and we even came up with this key phrase: “Wine is an expression of yourself.” Sounds like the perfect t-shirt slogan. It’s a fun episode spotlighting spectacular wine.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded August 21, 2024

Show Notes: Black Bank Hill - www.blackbankhill.com Wines sampled: 2022 Rose, 2021 Runway White, Vignoier, 201 Chardonnay, 2020 Runway Red, Cabernet Franc