Spill The Wine

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 ep...

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 win...

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 Cha...

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...

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...

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 wrappin...

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...

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 als...

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 y...

Len Pennachetti from Cave Spring is well known in the Niagara Wine region and his years in the
business resulted in one of our most informative podcast episodes. Andrea and Len began their
discussion by addressing the pretentiousness of wine, which Len had a very interesting take on.
Throughout the course of the conversation and wine tasting, we learn some fun facts about the
traditional method of champagne, the importance of one’s...

In this episode, we discover how land that was once an old air force training site, The
Beamsville Aerodrome, has developed into a top tier winery. Andrea and Taylor Emerson
discuss the evolution of the winery from the reasons for choosing to purchase this particular plot
of land, the grape choices and the decision to create Old World style wines. During the course
of the conversation and wine tasting, we also get creative – compar...

This is the story of how a family farm becomes a winery. Our host, Andrea Morris, visits Dim Winery and chats with Peter Dim about the history of the farm and of course, we taste some amazing wines. We are also treated to some wonderful stories about the labels and names for the wines. In addition, we also learn a lot about agriculture and weather and their affects on the grapes. 

Produced by: Lukas Sluzar...

Your host, Andrea Morris, busts a popular myth that red wine should never be served chilled. During this visit to Italian winery Villa Romana, Ugo explains why the folks in Rome drink their red wine chilled, and Andrea is surprised to actually enjoy chilled Pinot Noir. Ugo and his daughter, Andrea, share their stories of creating unique and delicious award winning wines. You’ll hear about the path to starting the winer...

We experience a bit of the UK vibe in this episode as your host, Andrea Morris, visits with Sarah at London Born Winery. We discover how a family from England started a winery in the Ontario wine region and learn the stories behind wines. During the conversation, Andrea and Sarah develop some great ideas for future podcasts and give some helpful hints regarding food pairings. And we even veer off the path of wine and s...

Ten acres and a mule was the slogan years ago, and your host, Andrea Morris, visits with Andrew Brooks, the owner of Back 10 about his journey into the wonderful world of wine. Andrew and his wife, Christina,  had no experience in farming or agriculture, but clung to the dream of starting a vineyard from the ground up.   Back 10 Cellars started with a big dream , pure will, gumption and determination. We talk about the...

If you are a red wine lover, this is the episode for you! Your host, Andrea Morris, takes you one of the wineries in the Bench area that is renowned for their hearty reds – Kacaba Vineyards Winery.  Charles will be our wine steward for the day and guide us through a tasting of a variety of wines, beginning with some bubbly, and ending with deep, rich reds. We will also discuss the history of Kacaba Vineyards and learn ...

Your host, Andrea, SERIOUSLY overuses the word “lovely” in this episode. As a matter of fact, it annoyed her so much, she wanted to redo the episode. However, producer Lukas Sluzar felt there is valuable information in this podcast, so Andrea bit the bullet and allowed it to air. Count the number of times she says lovely, and you could win a prize!! (email your answer to spillthewinepodcast@gmail.com) In this episode, ...

Welcome to the first episode of Spill the Wine – a podcast obviously about WINE! Wine is the one beverage that people seem to think they can’t enjoy unless they know something about it, which is quite odd when you think about it. But have no fear - we are hear to help you learn about wine, debunk some myths, and introduce you to the wonderful Bench area of the Niagara Wine region. We begin our journey with a visit to C...