Crown Bench
Estate Winery
is based on a simple idea,
that
by combining the very best in terrain, viticultural practices,
oneological stewardship and administration, the pillars
of a quality winery will have been established. In order
to make a great wine you have to have quality grapes. There
are no substitutes. The talents of the best wine maker can
make an inferior wine into a good wine but, not a great
wine. And no amount of marketing hoopla can elevate it.
The microclimate for great wines is found almost exclusively
in cool climactic zones. Only these areas can produce grapes
with the right sugar and acid mix to create outstanding wines
with an ability to mature with greatness.
 The
Niagara Peninsula is such a zone and has in recent years witnessed
a boom in the wine industry fueled by excellence that is world
class. Within the Peninsula it is universally acknowledged the
Beamsville Bench (descending steps from the escarpment to the lake) is
the superior terroir.
The Beamsville Bench is limited. It runs from the Western border of Grimsby
to Cherry Avenue, from the Number 8 Highway
to the Escarpment.
Crown Bench Estates has on its southern border the Niagara
Escarpment, a World Biosphere Reserve. The Bruce Trail runs
on the crest of the Escarpment and is some one hundred meters
behind the winery. The view from the vineyard of Lake Ontario
and the Toronto Skyline is spectacular. The natural features
of the property include streams, waterfalls, ponds (with nesting
Canada Geese and ducks) and bordering forests filled with wildlife
making Crown Bench a definite destination and not merely a winery. |
