| Prior
to the last great Ice Age,
a mighty river flowed eastward through present-day
Niagara. It helped to cut and deepen the land
fault known as the Niagara Escarpment, eventually
emptying into the present Niagara River at
the whirlpool gorge. During the ice age a
great glacier covering all of Ontario scraped
the soil clean from the Canadian Shield of
Northern Ontario, depositing a good quantity
in Southern Ontario, filling the great riverbed
and thus forming the benchland, better known
as the Beamsville Bench.
The Bench was also once
part of the shore-line for Lake Iroquois,
now known as the Great Lakes. The end result
of all this geographic activity spanning
the ages is a rich fertile land with an
incredible range in soil composition. The
elevation (unusual in the Ontario landscape),
creates a unique macroclimate that allows
for temperate seasons, creating an environment
where tender fruit plants flourish. Stoney
Ridge Estate Winery has three vineyards
on this unique land providing the finest
in Niagara grapes, Cuesta, McGrade and Kew
Vineyards. In addition to this, the Winery
also sources from independent Bench growers
such as the Wismer family of Vineland.
 |
 THE
MCGRADE VINEYARD
Named after the original owners of the property,
this vineyard consists of the estate vines
for Stoney Ridge. Located just behind the
winery the vineyard was formerly a plum
and apple orchard, replanted with grapes
in 1999. Approximately three acres of imported
Pinot Noir vines grafted on hearty rootstock
were planted in the fertile soil consisting
mostly of sandy loam. Although just off
the 'Bench', this vineyard experiences all
of the preferred attributes of the Bench's
mesoclimate. The vines are planted four
feet from each other with rows spaced 8
feet apart and trellised with the Pendelbogen
method. Pinot Noir, being notoriously difficult
to grow, was considered an optimal variety
for this vineyard due to the proximity to
the winery where the winemaking team would
be able to keep a close eye on it!
|
 THE
CUESTA VINEYARD
This beautiful property, bordered by ravines
on either side, is steeped in local history.
Originally owned by the Ball family of Ball's
Falls fame in the mid-1800's, it was the
site of numerous agricultural developments
over the years. At one point the property
was residence to an infamous local hermit
who lived in a derelict hut cut off from
the local community for decades. The land
has many natural attractions including a
waterfall, 2 natural ponds and some of the
most beautiful hiking scenery the escarpment
has to offer; the Bruce Trail actually outlines
part of the vineyard. The property was purchased
by the Cuesta Estates and Winery Corporation
in 1998.
 Cuesta,
Spanish for hill or escarpment, is a perfect
site for vineyard operations. Surrounded
by rare Carolinian forest and sloping 50
feet from South to North, this property
is picturesque as well as functional. The
vineyard has excellent natural drainage
as well as a perfect soil composition ranging
from fine sandy loam to loam with every
type of the Chinguacoucy group of soil compositions
in between.
The vineyard consists of
over 40 acres of land consisting of block
planting of 7,500 vines of Pinot Noir, 11,250
Cabernet Franc, 5375 Cabernet Sauvignon
and 10,125 Merlot. These vines are well
protected from the elements. In the winter
freeze of 2003, only 25% of the vines displayed
signs of bud damage due to the extreme cold,
a rate much lower than the Ontario average.
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THE
KEW VINEYARD
 Located
in the heart of the town of Beamsville on
the Niagara Escarpment, the Kew property
was originally a land grant from the King
of England to the Kew family after the war
of 1812. Vinifera vines were planted by
the property owners in the late 1980's,
starting a rich history of viticulture on
the property. The vineyard was put under
the control of Stoney Ridge in 1999.
The
vineyard makes up approximately seventy
acres of gentle sloping land. The soil composition
is a combination of Oneida and Chinguacoucy
Loam with sand and limestone pockets. The
land has been tiled due to the multi-directional
sloping of the land for better drainage.
 This
extensive vineyard consists of a broad range
of grape varieties; Cabernet Sauvignon,
Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Zweigelt, Baco Noir,
Riesling Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer,
Vidal and Sauvignon Blanc all thrive on
the property. The average age of the vines
is 20 years.
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