Southbrook Vineyards

Southbrook Winery moved from its north of Toronto location down to the Niagara Peninsula this year. It’s housed in a spectacular new facility that boasts a 205 meter wall painted periwinkle blue. The winery behind the eye-catching wall is all glass, and overlooks the vineyard. Winemaker Ann Sperling, formerly with Malivoire, has the perfect setting to show off her wines here. Owners Bill and Marilyn Redelmeier have introduced new labels to go with their sleek new winery. (The old winery was housed in a milk barn on the family farm surrounded by encroaching suburban development.)

The emphasis at Southbrook is on Chardonnay and Bordeaux blends but the newly introduced Whimsy label allows Sperling free rein to ‘play’ with other varietals and chose the best single barrels for small lot production. This wine is 100 percent Syrah. It is deep ruby in colour with a toasty nose of blackberries and white pepper. For a medium-bodied wine, it’s rich and spicy with lively acidity that prolongs the flavour.

The grapes were 20.5° Brix at harvest on October 24th and were vinified in open-top 8000-litre oak fermenters (Each fermenter stands on four hockey pucks. You never know; there might be an earthquake in Ontario). The wine was then aged in medium toast French oak (Ermitage Allier). Only 25.5 cases were produced.

Reviewed July 22, 2008 by Tony Aspler.