Single-vineyard wines: terroir truth or marketing hype?

As producers across the Okanagan Valley and Niagara Peninsula zero in on their most distinctive vineyard sites, single-vineyard wines are reshaping how Canadian wine expresses place—and why it matters

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The names of vineyards are appearing more frequently on Canadian wine labels.

Is this just marketing hype or is there something special, or even superior about these single-vineyard wines?

By definition, a single-vineyard wine is one produced exclusively from grapes grown in a specific vineyard site. It follows that the designation emphasizes characteristics of that vineyard’s terroir (soil composition, microclimate, altitude, sun exposure, and vineyard management practices among others). It also suggests a distinctiveness and individuality expressed in the resulting wine.

Read Also: Explore Ontario’s Twenty Mile Bench sub-appellation

This concept is not new. In the Old World (if we can still call it that), single-vineyard wines have been produced and marketed for a long time.

Where it all began

The most famous examples abound in France’s Burgundy region, where the single-vineyard system, known as climats, was established during the Middle Ages. Today these wines are based on vineyard rankings and labelled Cru and Premier Cru. Perhaps the most famous of these is Romanée-Conti.

In Alsace, there are 51 top-tier vineyards known as Alsace Grand Cru. And in the Loire Valley, single-vineyard wines showcasing distinct terroir are often labeled as clos (enclosed vineyard) or specific lieux-dits (named plots).

In Germany, single-vineyard wines are designated as Grosses Gewächs (GG) and VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter), signaling exceptional quality and terroir expression. In Austria, single-vineyard wines are known as Riedenwein and represent the pinnacle of quality. Likewise, in Spain’s Rioja region, Viñedo Singular wines highlight site-specific expressions and high-quality.

Masi in Italy introduced the single-vineyard concept in Veneto almost 70 years ago with Campolongo di Torbe in 1957 and Mazzano Amarone della Valpolicella Classico in 1964. These wines are much sought after for their ability to provide a sense of place and capture the essence of a specific terroir. Producers in other Italian regions quickly followed suit (Piedmont and Tuscany), naming their own single-vineyard wines.

The evolution of Canadian wine

Therefore, acknowledging single-vineyard wines is a logical next step in the evolution of Canadian wine. Although newer to this concept, Canadian producers have gained a deeper understanding of their terroir, have mapped and bottled the uniqueness of their vineyards, and are now attaching the names of those vineyards to their labels.

To shed more light on Canadian single-vineyard wines, VineRoutes approached some well-known winemakers and grape growers. Here is what they had to say:

Starting in the Okanagan Valley, Shane Munn (GM and winemaker) of Martin’s Lane Winery near Kelowna produces pinot noir and riesling wines from four very distinct estate vineyards: Simes, Naramata Ranch, Dehart, and Fritzi’s. According to Munn, these vineyard sites were selected for their exemplary geology, topography, and elevation, and all produce wines with tremendous individuality, complexity, and quality.

Munn elaborated on the reason that they work with only two varieties. “I think those varieties certainly help to sell that message about single-vineyard wines because they are the two varieties that show site with a lot of transparency.”

“When you come to Martin’s Lane, our tasting experience lasts at least an hour and a half, and you get to try multiple examples of the wines side by side. The staff uses our vineyard map to show where the wines come from. We don’t talk too much about the winemaking because I think if you’re expressing a piece of land, the winemaking has to be quite consistent. So that way, the difference between wines from our different vineyards can be palpable. There is much individuality among the four vineyards; and then within the vineyards themselves, there are certain blocks that are going to express differently.”

“But keeping winemaking consistent is key”, Munn emphasizes. “We use skin contact with riesling and whole cluster fermentations with pinot noir, indigenous yeast which kind of acts as a control, and concrete and stainless-steel vessels. The aim is to never dominate the fruit.”

Munn and his team have garnered attention among wine enthusiasts and critics domestically and internationally since opening their cellar door in 2016. Fellow wine writer, Matt Steeves, offers some praise: “Martin’s Lane Winery… is widely regarded as one of the most exciting pinot noir projects in the world. This winery has gained significant attention and acclaim for its relentless pursuit of crafting exceptional, terroir-driven pinot noir wines.”

Similarly in Ontario, Thomas Bachelder is widely known not only as an exceptional winemaker but also for mapping Niagara’s vineyard terroirs from the Niagara River to the outskirts of Hamilton, stretching some 52 kilometres.

According to Bachelder “The sandier soils near Niagara-on-the-Lake give way to the limestone benches of St. Davids, Jordan, Vineland, and Beamsville. Further west, you arrive where the Escarpment nearly meets the lake. In so small a place, the differences astonish – sometimes within a hundred metres, the flavour of the earth changes entirely.”

The map showing individual vineyards from which Bachelder and his wife Mary Delaney source their fruit is available in their biannual catalogue. Some of the single vineyards that they have worked with are now quite famous – Wismer-Foxcroft, Hanck, Hill of Wingfield, Wismer-Parke, and Saunders among others. These vineyards Bachelder acknowledges “belong with us, but not to us.”

Currently, they have 33 single-vineyard wines to offer – chardonnay, pinot noir and gamay. But going forward, they will be scaling back to just eight single vineyards for each of their three grape varieties. This is because they’re now exporting and more of certain wines are needed.

“The shocker, for me, was starting to export and watching the reaction to our wines in New York, London, Denmark, Stockholm and Oslo, Benelux, and Netherlands. They all prefer the same terroirs!”, notes Bachelder.

There’s nothing that beats the specificity of a single-vineyard wine, and that’s what’s great about a single vineyard. It doesn’t have to be more complex, but it is very specific to itself. – Thomas Bachelder

When asked which of his three grape varieties truly shows the vineyard’s fingerprint, Bachelder said, “I fell in love with pinot noir. Actually, pinot noir chose me. There’s no doubt that it is one of the best terroir grapes in the world.”

“Yet chardonnay has surprised me. People always say chardonnay is a winemaker’s grape. They can do it the way they want. But I said, what if you do chardonnay the same way in every vineyard? And when you do that, Holy Moses, I can taste minute differences in these chardonnays and it’s nearly equal to that of pinot noir. Okay, now I think gamay noir, pinot noir, and chardonnay show terroir equally well if winemaking is kept consistent.”

Bachelder goes on to say “I believe that the greatest proof of terroir is when you have a second grape on that same terroir, and you see the shift. So, yeah, I would always look for a terroir to show you another facet of itself while still remaining true to itself by changing the grape variety. Whenever you see that, it’s beautiful!”

Vigneron Harald Thiel of Hidden Bench Winery, who has been making single-vineyard wines for two decades, agrees that tasting a second grape variety from the same vineyard yields similarities.

“We make three different single-vineyard pinots and we make two single-vineyard chardonnays,” Thiel recounts as we sit down for a tasting of his pinot noir, chardonnay and riesling wines.

“We farm all the vineyards the same. So, really what you’re tasting here is the true difference in the terroir of the three vineyards – Rosomel (old vines), Felseck (more limestone) and Locust Lane (more clay based soil). And they are very different.”

The winemaking at Hidden Bench is kept pretty uniform, intended to showcase terroir of the vineyards. But Thiel also pulls back the curtain to reveal that even single-vineyard wines are a blend of sorts.

“We taste all of our barrels probably three or four times. First, we taste all the barrels without knowing which vineyards they are. And we rank them A, B, and C. We also score them on a 20- point scale and make notes about each barrel. Then we reveal them. Next, we take all the A barrels from Rosomel and we re-taste selecting the best among them. This becomes our blend of top barrels that reflects that particular vineyard. The process is then repeated for Felseck and Locust Lane,” explains Thiel.

Vineyard manager and grape grower Craig Wismer, who runs Glen Elgin Vineyard Management, oversees some 30 vineyards in the Niagara Peninsula. Many of those vineyards produce single-vineyard wines much in demand by winemakers, including his own vineyards:

Wismer-Foxcroft, Wismer-Wingfield and Wismer-Parke. Currently winemakers at Bachelder, Cloudsley, and Divergence craft wines with fruit from those vineyards.

“We’re fortunate to work with many, really great vineyard owners. Of course, there’s some wearing both hats – vineyard owners and winemakers. It’s always great to see the owner have that kind of continuity, from grape through to bottle,” explains Wismer.

Wismer goes on to say, “But seeing the industry evolve and focus on single-vineyard wines is wonderful. Ultimately, it’s about the quality that comes out of that, the sense of place, and the focus. We’re seeing vineyard owners and landowners make the transition to start their own wineries. It never gets old, seeing not just the success but the understanding of what that (vineyard) site can do for them.”

As a vineyard management company, Wismer would like to ideally be brought in early, to assist the vineyard owner or the potential purchaser in finding the right piece of land to plant.

Wismer confides, “You can’t just buy any piece of land and expect to grow necessarily the best quality. You might get lucky, but that doesn’t always work out. We’re starting to understand not only the differences in Niagara’s wine appellations but specific sites that might be better suited to different varieties and certainly different wine styles. If that is not possible, then we can certainly do a full review of a property, try to understand the local weather patterns, try to understand the soil structure, soil type etc, and hopefully be able to give the owner the best idea of what is possible on the site. And then from there, of course, there’s a million nuances to vineyard management.”

When asked about specific things he and his crew do in vineyards that are producing single-vineyard wines, Wismer says it’s about making sure the vines are balanced. That means keeping an equilibrium between a grapevine’s vegetative growth (leaves and shoots) and its reproductive growth (fruit yield). A balanced vine has enough leaf area to fully ripen its crop while maintaining long-term health, achieved through proper pruning, trellising, and cluster thinning.

“In terms of the top single-vineyard sites in Niagara: They’re all making sure that the vine is balanced. When Niagara winemaking was young and we didn’t have our own identity and confidence, we took numbers from elsewhere in the world. You know, two tonnes per acre was always thrown around as some sort of gold standard. But we’ve certainly learned over time working with great winemakers that there is no magic number, it’s all about balance. The highest quality wines are consistently made from healthy, balanced vineyards.”, Wismer elaborates.

Craig Wismer is also a grape grower and when queried about which single-vineyard wines he enjoys and which varieties show terroir best – riesling, pinot noir and chardonnay topped his list, but he quickly added, “I think gamay is an unsung hero of Niagara, and it’s finally starting to get some recognition that it deserves.”

“I really believe this is how we move Niagara forward, by identifying these key parcels that are continually coming up as high quality sites. And it’s amazing to see those sites done as a single-vineyard bottle. And you know, the consumer can hopefully appreciate the nuances of that site in addition to the varietal perspective.”

So, going back to the original question – are single-vineyard wines better? That answer depends largely on what you value in a wine.

• Do you seek wines with a unique personality and a strong sense of place?
• Do you support meticulous vineyard management practices that result in healthier grapes, better ripeness, and more concentrated flavours?
• Do you appreciate an elevated level of craftsmanship and attention to detail throughout the winemaking process?

If your answer is a resounding ‘yes’, then single-vineyard wines may be your ‘go to’ choice. And you should be willing to pay a little extra for such wines.

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Some of Niagara’s top vineyards

Here are several examples of single-vineyard wines from Niagara. We chose two varieties from selected vineyards to see how the terroir presents in each wine:

Hanck Vineyard (Twenty Mile Bench)

Situated off Victoria Avenue as it rises to meet the Niagara Escarpment (in Vineland), Hanck is owned and operated by Rob and Liz Harold and Joe and Tracey Schenck. The two couples purchased the 20-acre Twenty Mile Bench property in 2002 and later established King and Victoria Winery, which opened in 2023, on the site. The vineyard, at 100m elevation, slopes gently northward and has a combination of clay and limestone soils.

Vineyard fingerprint: floral notes, refreshing acidity, salinity

King + Victoria 2024 ‘Hanck Vineyard’ Riesling

Here is a lithe, dry and crunchy riesling from this relatively new producer. Lightly fragrant with white flowers, apple, lemon-lime and petrichor. On the palate the wine is mid-weight, with satiny texture and flavours of lemon, green apple, a touch of savoriness and brimming with saline minerality. (11% ABV; RS 7.6 g/L) ($25)

Cloudsley Cellars 2021 ‘Hanck Vineyard’ Pinot Noir

Only a few properties away from King + Victoria, Cloudsley Cellars crafts this Pinot Noir (clones 777 and 114) with fruit harvested from the Hanck Vineyard. Barrel fermented with indigenous yeast and aged 18 months in French oak (33% new), this wine is a brighter, lighter iteration with only 12.5% alcohol owning to a cooler and wetter vintage. Aromas of cherry, raspberry, hints of rosemary and violets accompany a palate layered with red berry fruit, subtle oak spice, silky fine-grained tannins and bright acidity. (12.5% ABV) ($53)

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Felseck Vineyard (Beamsville Bench)

One of three distinct and organically certified vineyards belonging to Hidden Bench Winery, Felseck (planted in 1988) is a moderately steep vineyard on a bench of the escarpment with clay/silt soils layered with limestone (4-7%). Chardonnay, pinot noir and riesling are grown in this vineyard.

Vineyard fingerprint: stony, crushed rock minerality in whites and savoury meatiness in reds

Hidden Bench 2020 ‘Felseck Vineyard’ Riesling

This is a rich and layered riesling which has now developed a hint of petrol with bottle age. It opens up with aromas of white flowers, citrus, green apple and wet stone. On the palate, tangy lemon rind meets sweet pineapple flavours backed by bright acidity and a satisfying full mouthfeel. Great intensity and texture in this wine (11.5% ABV, RS 13.9 g/L) ($30)

Hidden Bench 2022 ‘Felseck Vineyard’ Pinot Noir

Even from a challenging vintage, this pinot noir wine shows the exceptional vineyard management and winemaking care at Hidden Bench. The wine opens with a perfumed nose of ripe raspberry, cherry, exotic spice (cinnamon, clove) and fennel. The palate is savoury, full of umami complexity, black tea and sage, as well as sanguine notes. It’s all supported by fine-grained, soft tannins and balanced acidity. (13% ABV) ($50)

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Wismer-Foxcroft Vineyard (Twenty Mile Bench)

Farmed by the Wismer Family, this 45-acre vineyard (planted in 1993-1996) is highly regarded for its chardonnay and gamay noir. It’s located on Moyer Road in Vineland at an elevation of 110m; it has a southern aspect which allows for high sun exposure insuring good ripening. The soil composition of clay/loam is rich in limestone and silt.

Vineyard fingerprint: richness, iron-tinged savouriness and stony salinity

Bachelder 2023 ‘Cru de Niagara Single Vineyard Wismer-Foxcroft’ Gamay Noir

A charming wine with cherry, raspberry, red currant, and clove spice aromas. On the palate bright acidity and soft tannins are a backdrop for oregano, tea, and soy-sauce savoury flavours ending on a saline note. (13.5% ABV) ($33)

Bachelder 2022 ‘Cru de Niagara Single Vineyard Wismer-Foxcroft’ Chardonnay

What a rich, viscous and smooth-textured wine! It opens with aromas of citrus, wet stone and oyster shell salinity. The palate follows with flavours of quince, pear, lime peel, and a touch of spice backed by refreshing acidity. (13.5% ABV) ($54.95)

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Grimsby Hillside Vineyard (Lincoln Lakeshore)

Grimsby Hillside Vineyard, owned by the Franciosa family, is located at the base of the escarpment on an exceptional terroir defined by unique topography and soils. The Riesling and Chardonnay vines are planted on nutrient-rich clay loam soil imparting a distinct character to each varietal. The Pinot Noir vines are rooted in red clay soils giving depth and flavour intensity.

Vineyard fingerprint: flint, stoniness, salinity

Leaning Post Wines 2023 ‘Grimsby Hillside Vineyard’ Riesling

Here is a mid-weight, creamy textured riesling (the creaminess coming from lees ageing). A shy nose offers floral hints, but the palate bursts with lime, green apple, honeycomb, cumin spice and flinty minerality. (11.5% ABV; RS 11 g/L) ($27.20)

Leaning Post Wines 2021 ‘Grimsby Hillside Vineyard’ Chardonnay

This is a big, round chardonnay with a stony, flinty nose. The palate is more generous with flavours of lemon curd, meringue, quince, and Bosc pear. The wine has a smooth texture, lifted acidity and a long saline finish. (12.5% ABV) ($58.20)

 

– Lidija Biro is a regular contributor with VineRoutes

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