Three amateur winemakers, a doctor, a lawyer and a professor got together in 1980 and bought the land that become Thirty Bench. Winemaker Emma Garner talks with Andrea about the first plantings of Riesling grapes in 1980, and the way the soil hanging onto the water affects the tastes of grapes, which naturally affects the taste of the wine. Emma sheds some light on the origins of the myth about Riesling tasting sweet too. We also chat about the reasons why Pinot Noir is a difficult grape, and get some insights into the Cabernet Franc grape too. You’ll also discover how the shape of a wine glass can amplify the taste of the wine. It’s a fun and insightful episode, and you’ll definitely want to schedule a visit to Thirty Bench afterwards.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar, recorded May 7, 2025

Show notes: www.thirtybench.com

Wines sampled: Sparkling Riesling, 2021 Small Lot Riesling, 2021 Small Lot Chardonnay, 2021 Small Lot Pinot Noir, 2022 Winemakers Blend, 2020 Small Lot Cabernet Franc

Hidden Bench is an organic winery and produces 100% estate wine using only grapes grown on the property. Andrea chats with winemaker Alex Baines about the process of becoming a certified organic winery and what that means for the taste and quality of the wines. We also get to taste a concrete fermented and aged Sauvignon Blanc (Beton) . The concrete gives the wine a great texture and weight and adds a unique salinity and brininess to the wine. It was Andrea’s first time tasting wine made this way and it was absolutely incredible. Alex also explains the fine art of working hard to appear invisible in the winemaking process. It’s a great conversation spotlighting fantastic wines that you are sure to enjoy.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar, recorded May 7, 2025

Show notes: www.hiddenbench.com

Wines sampled: 2018 Natur (sparkling), 2019 Romans Block Riesling, 2022 Beton Sauvignon Blanc, 2021 Chardonnay, 2021 Gamay, 2022 Pinot Noir

Judging by the name, one might think Organized Crime is an Italian Mafia winery. However, when our host Andrea Morris speaks with Owner Ania De Deluba and winemaker Greg Yemen, we discover the incredibly interesting story behind the name. It comes from a battle between two Mennonite churches, resulting in a church pipe organ being stolen and thrown into a ravine. You’ll enjoy hearing the whole story, as well as the history of the winery, and their goal to create quaffable wines. We hear the story behind the beautiful platinum award winning Sacred Series Cuve Krystyna – a wine that is a tribute to Ania’s mother. We also have a fun discussion about Pinot Noir clones, corks vs screw tops and unfiltered wines. You’ll learn a lot and I guarantee you’ll want to visit this fantastic winery with beautiful views.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar, recorded March 12, 2025

Show notes: www.organizedcrimewinery.com

Wines sampled: 2023 Riesling, 2021 Limestone Block Chardonnay, 2020 Sacred Series Cuve Krystyna, 2022 Break In Pinot Not, 2019 Sacred Series Cabernet Franc, 2022 Sacred Series Unfilter 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc

If only you could see the beautiful view while listening to Andrea Morris chat with Flat Rock owner Ed Mardonich! It’s a stunning location with beautiful wines, named for the abundance of flat rocks they discovered while doing drainage for the vineyard. During our tasting, Ed challenges our preconceived notions of wine tasting and we taste red wines before whites. It really is a much better way to enjoy a tasting. Ed also sheds some light on how the number of taste buds on your tongue detect differences in taste. We also touch on how sustainability and community are very important to Flat Rock while tasting the Good Karma chardonnay. 100% of the proceeds from this wine go directly to Feed Ontario. Now you can drink wine for a good cause while listening to this episode!

Produced by Lukas Sluzar, recorded March 12, 2025

Show notes: www.flatrockcellars.com

Wines sampled: 2023 Foundation Pinot Noir, 2020 Gravity Pinot Noir, 2021 Rusty Shed Chardonnay, 2023 Good Karma Chardonnay, 2023 Nadja’s Vineyard Riesling, 2015 Nadja’s Vineyard Riesling

In this episode we travel slightly above the Niagara escarpment for a chat with Wescott’s winemaker Casey Kulczik. Wescott is a winery that is keen on nurturing the micro flora and fauna on the property to produce wines that truly represent the place of where they are. Andrea and Casey start off their tasting with the Blanc de Noir from the Brilliant series. (a brilliant idea for sure!) It led to an interesting discussion about wild fermentation – describing the yeast as minions and the winemaker as Gru. Casey’s passion for winemaking is front and center in this episode and he also explains why vineyard always face north/south. You’ll definitely want to schedule a visit to Wescott after listening to this episode.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded February 19, 2025

Show notes: www.westcottvineyards.com

Wines sampled: Brilliant Blanc de Noirs, 2021 Pinot Noir Butlers Grant old Vines, 2021 Pinot Noir Estate, 2022 Chardonnay Estate, 2021 Chardonnay Block 76, 2022 Chardonnay Butlers Grant Old Vines

Andrea had so much fun chatting with Ilia and Nadia Sawchuk, owners of Leaning Post Winery, that we had to extend the interview to a second episode. In Part 2, we taste the wonderful red wines we have to offer, starting off with two Pinot Noirs. Pinot Noir is a fussy grape to grow, but it’s a beautiful fruit that produces a full bodied wine with less alcohol content. Ilia refers to it as the Emo punk brother of Chardonnay, but Nadia and Andrea referred to it as the Pedro Pascal of wine. (YUM!) We chatted about the supportive wine community in the Bench reason, and discovered the story behind the winery name, Leaning Post. There are lots of laughs and more t-shirt slogans in this episode!

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded February 19, 2025

Show notes: www.leaningpostwines.com
Wines sampled: 2020 Pinot Noir Hemeris Vineyard, 2020 Pinot Noir Senchuk Vineyard, 2020 Syrah Keczan Vineyard, Cuvee Heritage Vintage 2020

Ilya and Nadia Senchuk – owners of Leaning Post Winery revealed to our host, Andrea Morris, that the dream of owning a winery actually started as pillow talk, then expanded to numbers on a napkin and eventually led to a search for the right property. After losing three bids for vineyards, they decided to rent a house with some vines on the property, which eventually became Leaning Post. Their passion for wine is evident in this episode when Nadia becomes emotional while speaking about showcasing their wines to a journalist. Their goal as winery owner is to be a warm and welcoming place to showcase what the Niagara region has to offer, with a focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but also expanding to other varietals. If you’re not a Chardonnay fan, Nadia says “challenge accepted” and she will help you to see the beauty in this wine. This episode is full of great quotes like “Chardonnay is the pizza of wine”, and is brimming over with passion and love for wine. You’ll definitely want to make the trip to the “edge of glory” to experience their wines after listening to his episode!

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded February 19, 2025

Show Notes: www.leaningpostwines.com
Wines sampled:2021 Riesling Grimsby Hillside, 2021 Chardonnay, 2021 Chardonnay Senchuk Vineyard

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