If you love all things organic, especially food and beverages, the Niagara region has quite a few organic and biodynamic wineries.
Sustainable farming practices are followed. There is no usage of chemicals on the produce. Several other eco-friendly measures are taken to create a healthy environment for the production of wines. The end result is a range of wines that are organic and rich in flavour.
Organic Wines are available from these five Organic Wineries in Niagara:
- Frogpond Farm Organic Winery – Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery – Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Redstone Winery – Twenty Valley
- Southbrook Vineyards – Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Tawse Winery – Twenty Valley
Listed below are some of the organic wineries in the Niagara Region. Each offering something unique to the wine connoisseur:
Frogpond Farm Organic Winery
A trailblazer in the organic wine industry, established in 2001, Frogpond Farm is in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
It has the distinction of being the first certified organic winery in Ontario and offers a collection of fantastic natural wines.
The winery meets all the criteria set by the Canadian government for organic certification including:
- absence of chemical herbicides
- pesticides for cultivating the vines
- no chemicals during the wine-making process
This lovely winery has created an ecosystem that is favourable to the growth of healthy vines. To achieve this, the farm consists of a wide range of plants as well as several birds and animals that are beneficial to the vineyard. For example, the guinea fowl are very useful in the containment of pests as they are bug eaters.View this post on InstagramFrogpond’s range of certified organic VQA wines include:- Vidal
- Cabernet Franc
- Merlot
- Riesling
- Chardonnay
- Gamay Noir
Visit the farm, vineyard & winery to understand its organic philosophy and to taste some wonderful wines!Southbrook Vineyards
Spread across a 150-acre property, Southbrook Vineyards, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, is Canada’s first biodynamic winery.The certification has been sanctioned by Demeter, one of the major international organizations that certifies biodynamic farming.
Southbrook also uses organic methods to grow grapes in its vineyards. It is an all-natural process from the vineyard to the bottle. No chemicals are used during farming and production of the wine. Biodynamics is practised in all aspects, from the soil to the ecosystem. Besides this, solar panels at the vineyard provide electricity, a major step towards the conservation of energy.View this post on InstagramThese methods provide a natural and healthy environment resulting in strong vines and vibrant wines.The winery’s range of wonderful red wines, white wines, icewines and other wines include:- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Pinot Noir
- Cabernet Franc
- Merlot
- Chardonnay
- Vidal
Southbrook has also won several awards at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and the Ontario Wine Awards in 2016.Take a tour of the vineyard & enjoy tasting sessions at the hospitality pavilion for a wholesome, organic experience.Tawse Winery
Situated on Cherry Avenue in Twenty Valley, Tawse Winery is no stranger to awards for its excellent range of wines. Voted Canada’s Winery of the Year on 4 occasions, the most recent being in 2016. Owner Moray Tawse’s love for Burgundy wines especially Chardonnay & Pinot Noir led to the establishment of the winery. He recognized the potential of Niagara’s wine country and blended classic techniques with modern technology to produce wines.Tawse Winery uses organic and biodynamic methods to make wines, and received its certification in 2008. The winery has a six-level, gravity-flow design and utilizes geothermal systems for renewable energy. A wetland bio-filter enables water to be reused resulting in the conservation of the wetland habitat.
Besides Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the winery has a range of wines like:View this post on Instagram- Riesling
- Cabernet Franc
- Cabernet Merlot
Enjoy the sights at the vineyard and the flavours of the wine by visiting this charming winery.Redstone Winery
Redstone Winery, founded in 2009, has a wonderful collection of wines produced on its 38 acre property in Twenty Valley.
Moray Tawse, founder of Tawse Winery, is also the owner of this property. The winery gets its name from the red soil and huge stones in the area; the terroir here reflects in Redstone’s range of fabulous wines. It received its biodynamic and organic certification in 2013, and produces wines using the various requirements of organic farming.View this post on InstagramYou will find a range of wines such as:- Cabernet Franc
- Merlot
- Syrah
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Riesling
- Chardonnay
The property also has a fantastic restaurant with a patio, that serves a delectable spread of locally inspired dishes. Spacious and comfortable, the 80-seat restaurant has a private dining area as well.Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery
With a 150 year old legacy of farming, Ravine Winery offers visitors refined wines and a charming lifestyle experience.Since 1867, the farmlands are cultivated by the Lowrey family. The farmlands were used to grow vegetables and fruits such as:- peaches
- cherries
- plums
- pears
- grapes
Today, the 34 acre property, in St. Davids, nurtures grapevines that produce wonderful wines.This organic and biodynamic winery uses its unique terroir in different sections to plant suitable varietals.It has resulted in a range of elegant red and white wines, and you can drop by the winery to savour them. Their fine wines include:- Riesling
- Chardonnay
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Cabernet Franc
- Merlot
- Meritage
Ravine Winery offers visitors 150 years of heritage with its restored buildings, picturesque vineyards, kitchen gardens, dining experiences at the restaurant and events for up to 300 people.
