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

This is the first episode of Spill the Wine that doesn’t include a wine tasting! The conversation
Andrea Morris had with Thomas Bacherlder – owner/winemaker of Bachelder Estates was so
interesting it needed a full episode to itself. Thomas’ journey as a winemaker began in Montreal,
then led to Burgundy, Oregon and finally, Beamsville, which has the climate and terroir for
making the Burgundy style wines he loves– Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (and Gamay too!) You
will learn about the difference between Domaine and Chateau wineries, what “mapping” a
region means, and the terroir differences between the Bench and Niagara wine regions.
Thomas also explains elevage, the aging of wine in barrels and goes into detail about the
effects both old and new barrels have on the taste of wine. He even provides some fun ideas to
help you plan a trip to the Bench wine region. You will DEFINITELY learn a lot about
winemaking from this episode.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded January 29, 2025

Show notes: Bachelder : www.bachelderniagara.com

If you’re a fan of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, this is a winery you MUST visit! Our host, Andrea
Morris, speaks with Cloudsley owner Adam Lowy about the reasons for focusing on these two
grape varietals, and the choice to outsource their grapes from outstanding growers in the Bench area. Adam talks about making wines that don’t make your mouth tired. He provided another great statement regarding wine: “Wine is a snapshot of the time and the place the grapes were grown.” They also discuss the challenges of promoting Ontario wines across Canada and around the world, the effect of winter weather on grapes and the reason for different styles of glasses when drinking wine. You’ll definitely enjoy this episode!

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded January 29, 2025

Show notes: www.cloudsleycellars.com

Wines sampled: 2022 Chardonnay 20 Mile Bench, 2022 Chardonnay Wingfield, 2022
Chardonnay Foxcroft, 2021 Pinot Noir 20 Mile Bench, 2021 Pinot Noir Hanck, 2021 Pinot Noir
Parke

Calamus Estate Winery is quite unique, as it is the only winery in the Niagara Bench area that
has a telescope on site. Plus, it’s also proud to be a democratic winery, where their wine club
members are a part of the process of picking wines. Our host, Andrea Morris, speaks with Peter
Van Helsdingen, the owner of the winery, regarding the many events they host featuring
astronomy and wine, and about his approach to winemaking. They share found memories of
their fathers while tasting a wonderful double barreled Cabernet Sauvignon. During the course
of the episode, Peter also coined one of Andrea’s new favourite slogans: life is too short to have
a glass of wine you don’t prefer.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 30, 2024

Show notes: Calamus Estate Winery: www.calamuswines.com

Wines sampled: Crackle Sparkling wine, Pinot Grigio, Unoaked Chardonnay, 2020 Meritage
Reserve, 202 Appassimento, 2019 Williams Double Barreled Cabernet Sauvignon

In this episode, Andrea visits with Rob Harold and Joe Schenck, the co-owners of King and
Victoria Winery. They have a genuine enthusiasm for making wine and look at each wine as one
of their babies. Rob and Joe share the story of how they found the property and started the
winery, and explain why their wine club is named for a group of vultures (The Committee). They
share some of their innovative ways for making wine, like wrapping a blanket around a tank to
get the wine to the correct temperature. Their passion and love of wine making shines through
in this episode and you’ll appreciate their desire to bring people tougher with wine and food. I
guarantee you’ll want to visit King and Victoria after listening to this episode!

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 30, 2024

Show notes: King and Victoria : www.kingandvictoria.com

Wines sampled: 2023 Reisling, Chardonnay, Gamay Nouveau, 2019 Pinot Noir, 2021 Pinot
Noir, 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon

This episode provides tons of insights into the art of winemaking. Andrea Morris chats with 16
Mile cellar winemaker Morgan Juniper. Morgan shares information about the biodynamic
approach to winemaking and talks about emotional winemaking versus lab driven winemaking.
Bet you didn’t know that was a thing! In addition, for the first time on the podcast, we discuss
ladybugs, particularly the multicoloured Asian lady beetles, and the negative effect they can
have on wine. Of course, we also taste some magnificent wines, and experience the first
tastings of wine in it’s very early stages, straight from the tank. You will definitely learn a lot from
this episode.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 30, 2024

Show notes: 16 miles cellar vineyards & winery: www.16milecellar.com

Wines sampled: Rebel 202 Chardonay, Civility 2018 unfiltered Chardonnay, Rebel 2018 Pinot
Noir Gamay, Incivility 2018 Pinot Noir Unfiltered, White Pinot from the vat, Rose from the vat

In this episode, our host, Andrea Morris, visits with Wending Home Estate winemaker Ron
Giesbrecht, who is well renowned in the Niagara wine making circles. Ron has over 40 years of
experience in the wine business – including research, wine making and teaching as a college
professor. He has a unique approach to wine making and enjoys experimenting with unique
grape varieties. In addition to tasting some award- winning wines, we also laugh a lot and learn
quite a bit about the history of wine both in Niagara and abroad. Fun fact I learned from this
episode: the oldest know winery in the world is in the Republic of Georgia. You’ll also learn why Ron refers to Chardonnay as the chicken of the vineyard. It truly is a fun and educational
episode.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 2, 2024

Show notes: Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery: www.wendinghome.ca

Wines sampled: 2020 Riesling, 202 Wending North (white blend), 202 Chardonnay, 2021 Estate
Gamay, 2020 Pinot Noir, 2019 Cabernet Franc, 2020 Cabernet Franc.

A wine tasting with Nathan and Dave at Dobbin Estate is like a fairy tale. Andrea met them at
the foot of the tower (the adult treehouse as they call it) , and proceeded to the second floor to
hear the story of the winery and taste some spectacular wines. Nathan and Dave explained their
reasoning for opting for an organic approach to wine making and talked in detail about the
challenges of organic grape growing. The result is not your $20 bottle of wine, but
understanding the work involved in the process justifies the price. You’ll definitely want to visit
Dobbin Estates after listening to this episode.

Produced by Lukas Sluzar. Recorded October 2, 2024

Show notes: Dobbin Estate Winery: www.dobbinestate.com

Wines sampled: Chardonnay 2019, Cabernet Blend 2020, Dry Riesling 2019, Riesling 2019