From the hopper, the grapes are transported
via an auger into our stainless steel crusher
destemmer. The resulting must (pulp, skin
and juice) will then be pumped into one
of two state-of-the-art Whilmes Bladder
Presses for white wine making or the stainless
steel tanks for red wine processing. The
tanks are temperature controlled for optimal
fermentation conditions to better extract
the fruity character of the grapes.
Stoney Ridge has gained a reputation for
crisp white wines, requiring substantial
tank requirements; currently, Stoney Ridge
possesses two 20,000L, thirty 10,000L and
nine 5000L tanks. The stems and leaves spit
out by the crusher destemmer are returned
to the vineyard to fertilize the soil. Considerable
investment in the harvest and winemaking
equipment has allowed Stoney Ridge complete
control over its product, ensuring the highest
quality wines.
THE BARREL ROOM
Cool and secluded, the barrel room is often
considered the area of the winery where
'the magic' happens. On a cool fall day
you can hear the barrels gurgling as the
contents are being converted from juice
to wine through the natural miracle of fermentation.
Premium oak barrels are the cornerstone
of many of Stoney Ridge's quality products.
The natural flavours derived from the oak
complement the robust and fruity character
of many of the wines such as Pinot Noir,
Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet
Sauvignon. The oak gives balance to the
wine, accenting the natural grape flavours
with spicy toast and buttery notes. Currently
Stoney Ridge uses 250 to 300 oak barrels
for winemaking.
Stoney Ridge purchases new oak barrels
every year for its premium line of reserve
wines. For the 2003 vintage, 60 new barrels
were ordered including 20 French, 34 American
from 2 different producers, and 6 Hungarian
oak. New oak has a bigger impact on the
wine, releasing stronger oak flavours than
an older barrel would. An annual shipment
of new barrels is necessary to stand up
to the bold flavours of the Stoney Ridge
Reserve and Founder's Series Wines. In addition
to new oak, Stoney Ridge also possesses
50 additional 1 year old barrels and 150
second and third year olds. These barrels
are used for softer varieties such as Pinot
Noir and Merlot. Several Bench Series wines
also benefit from time in these barrels,
giving them balance and complexity.
In the summertime, when the barrels are
stored outside for cleaning between vintages,
the barrel room becomes the stage for numerous
culinary delights as Stoney Ridge invites
the public to join in the many special events
it holds at the winery. Winemaker's dinners,
private tastings and corporate celebrations
all take place in the barrel room; adorned
with barrels illuminated by hundreds of
candles it truly makes for a magical setting.
THE WINE LIBRARY
During the winery's move from Winona to
Vineland, Ontario, several archived wines
were misplaced during the move. Instead
of being shipped to the new winery, they
were sent to the basement of an unused house
on one of the Stoney Ridge vineyard properties.
Here the wines stayed in perfect storage
conditions until their rediscovery in May
of 2002.
Upon discovery of the wine,
it was realized that Stoney Ridge had possession
of an incredible collector's find. The basement
had contained an incredible cross-section
of Stoney Ridge's winemaking history: 100
different limited edition wines and back
vintages previously unreleased to the public.
Vintages date from the earliest days of
the winery in 1985 and span 16 years of
its winemaking history. Every wine is a
bottling from winemaker Jim Warren, original
founder and former winemaker of Stoney Ridge.
An extensive six month analysis of the bottles'
contents was preformed to assess the quality
of the wines. The results were remarkable;
a testament to the ageability of wines from
Niagara.
