Vintages New Release Collection – April 25, 2026

LOCAL TALENT

Turkey vultures at Cave Spring provide natural pest control. RIGHT: Arguably cuter, sheep at Featherstone provide machine free leaf trimming.

Cave Spring Vineyard was Ontario’s first winery to achieve sustainable certification for both its cellars and vineyards, and the first in the world to implement innovative wastewater treatment technology. Additionally, they make barrel selection decisions that preserve forests, reduce emissions and minimize their carbon footprint. Their wines are made as naturally as possible, using indigenous yeasts and minimal sulphur additions. And, in what sounds like something straight out of Star Wars, they focus UV light to burn away harmful weeds without harsh chemical sprays. Featherstone Estate Winery has been insecticide-free since the turn of the millennium, opting instead to battle bugs with science. They use diatoma

Given that Leaning Post winemaker Ilya Senchuk and his family live on-site at the estate vineyard, they have a tangible, close-to-home incentive to treat the land with care, and their philosophy is to expand that thinking outward. Dedicated to keeping things as simple and natural as possible, Leaning Post uses a minimalist approach in the winery, embraces hands-on farming principles to reduce harsh chemicals in the vineyard, and encourages local flora to grow between the vine rows and help maintain a healthy ecosystem. Southbrook Vineyards has been a champion of eco-conscious winemaking for over three decades. They use organic, biodynamic and regenerative farming techniques in the vineyard,

ceous earth and pheromones in the vineyard to deter pests, and they bring in beneficial predatory insects like lacewings and ladybugs to hunt harmful aphids and mites. The team also plants cover crops between each vineyard row, minimizing soil erosion and reducing space for invasive weeds. The crops they use are brassicas (mustard and oil-seed radish), which fight soil parasites; legumes, which fix nitrogen in the soil and thereby reduce the need for chemical fertilizers; and ryegrass, which encourages vine roots to dig deep for water and whose clippings return organic matter to the soil. The estate also employs a small flock of sheep to munch their way through the vineyard and prune excess leaf cover without the need for machinery.

24 VINTAGES