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.