This was an excellent place to start on our way into Niagara on the Lake from Toronto. This vineyard is recently built to be sustainable and organic. The outward appearance does not resemble other vineyards in the area but it is well worth opening the doors for a visit. You can see the water surrounding the entrance is integrated as a part of the environmentally friendly design.
Southbrook (Photo credit: chrishanz)
Organic Winery
Sustainable Design
The staff were especially knowledgeable and represented the vineyard well. They were well informed about wine and about what was happening in their vineyards.
I found a lovely 2012 Triomphe Cabernet Franc Rose (19.95) which is approachable as a wine for the patio or to start an evening but also shares the structure of the Cabernet Franc grape. This will not resemble the sweeter Rose wines you may have tried in the past.
The Cabernet France varietal has the character to cut through excessive sweetness and is used by SouthBrook to make a distinctive Ice Wine. If you find the sweetness of many ice wines made from the traditional Vidal grape a little cloying you may want to try the SouthBrook Cabernet France Ice Wine. Bring some dark chocolate with you as it is a great complement to this Ice Wine.
A surprise here was that my companion this day, who does not typically enjoy Chardonnay which is oak aged, found one here that delighted her so much that she choose to buy a bottle. Perhaps this has to do with the organic nature of the wines but it is definitely a suggestion to try some wine here that you might not ordinarily reach for.
Off to another side SouthBrook also had some delicious looking pizza available for visitors on this day. We didn’t take the chance to partake but if you do please leave a comment below to share your experience.
And for some of their library wines online – http://wineclub.southbrook.com/store
Niagarawinesmith 