Reif Estate Winery is located in

Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the Niagara Region of On ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Reif Estate is primarily known for playing an important in role pioneering the

Ontario wine Ontario wine is Canadian wine produced in the province of Ontario. The provinces has three official wine-growing region, the Niagara Peninsula, the north shore of Lake Erie, and Prince Edward County, although wineries also exist in other regions ...

Industry, as well as planting some of the first ''

Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran. There are curre ...

'' vines in the

Niagara region The Regional Municipality of Niagara, also colloquially known as the Niagara Region or Region of Niagara, is a regional municipality comprising twelve municipalities of Southern Ontario, Canada. The regional seat is in Thorold. It is the southern ...

History

Before Reif Estate Winery settled on the banks of the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

, the family tradition of

winemaking Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...

traces back 13 generations, starting in Germany. The Reif family tradition of winemaking began in the 17th century in a small winemaking town called Neustadt, Germany. In 1977, Ewald Reif moved to Canada and purchase a plot of land, where the

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...

is still situated today. After purchasing the land, Ewald began uprooting existing ''

Vitis labrusca ''Vitis labrusca'', the fox grape, is a species of grapevines belonging to the ''Vitis'' genus in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The vines are native to eastern North America and are the source of many grape cultivars, including Catawba, Co ...

'' grapes that were planted on the property, replacing them with ''Vitis vinifera'' vines. Ewald opened Reif Estate Winery in 1982. The winery's first vintages in 1982 included

Riesling Riesling (, ; ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wh ...

Gewürztraminer Gewürztraminer () is an aromatic wine grape variety, used in white wines, and performs best in cooler climates. In English, it is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz (; although this is never the case in German, because "Gewürz" me ...

and

Vidal Vidal (, , , ) is a Catalan, Aragonese, and possibly also Romansh surname, which also appears in French, Italian, Portuguese and English, and as a given name. Vidal may refer to: Surname * Maurice Vidal Portman (1850–1935), a British doct ...

. In 1984 Reif produced its first Icewine. In 1987, Klaus W. Reif took over from his Uncle Ewald as President and Winemaker at Reif Estate Winery. In 1990, Roberto DiDomenico became winemaker.

Vineyard

Reif Estate's vineyard is located in Niagara Peninsula

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

, in the Niagara River sub-appellation. The Niagara River sub-appellation is characterized by its east facing slopes, offering

grape varieties This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...

necessary sun exposure during the day. In addition, the Niagara river acts as a convective current which moderates vineyard temperatures and ultimately extends the

growing season A season is a division of the year marked by changes in weather, ecology, and the amount of daylight. The growing season is that portion of the year in which local conditions (i.e. rainfall, temperature, daylight) permit normal plant growth. Whil ...

. The number of degree days in th
Niagara River sub-appellation
is 1470. Some of the first vines grown on the Estate included

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

and Riesling. White Varieties include: Chardonnay, Chenin blanc, Gewürztraminer,

Pinot grigio Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the grap ...

, Riesling,

Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

and Vidal. Red Varieties include:

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...

, Cabernet Sauvignon,

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

Gamay noir Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire Valley around Tours. Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. It is a very old cultivar, mentioned as long ago as the 15th centu ...

, and

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse B ...

Milestones

1977 * Vineyard founded by Ewald Reif. 1982 * Winery opens and is housed in 1870s coach house. 1987 * Klaus W. Reif moves to Canada to take over the reins. 1988 * Robert Parker Jr. names 1987 Vidal Icewine on top ten wine list. 1989 * Winemaker Roberto DiDomenico joins Reif. 1991 * New production facility and underground barrel cellar opens. 1997 * Tesoro takes Gold at International Wine & Spirit Competition. 2002 * Best Canadian Winery at Wine & Spirit International Competition. 2004 * Vidal Icewine is Wine of the year at Ontario Wine Awards. 2005 * First Growth Collection is released showcasing Reif terroir. 2007 * Best Meritage at Cuvee for 2002 First Growth Cabernet Merlot. * Three Gold's presented at Ontario Wine Awards. * Best Sweet Wine Trophy awarded at Cuvée for Vidal Icewine. * Installation of Wine Sensory Garden to commemorate 25 years of winemaking. 2008 * Best Sweet Wine Trophy awarded at Cuvée for Vidal Icewine. * Grand Opening of New Wine Boutique. 2009 * Launch of TREND wine collection. * Production of Niagara Raisins, a first in Canada. * First vintage of kiln dried wines including passito-style botrytis affected wines. 2010 * Klaus W. Reif receives Lifetime achievement award from Ontario Wine Society.

Winemakers

Klaus W. Reif was born in the winemaking region of Neustadt, Germany. Klaus was also born into a long line of winemakers in his family, dating back 13 generations. In 1978, Klaus traveled to Canada to visit his Uncle Ewald Reif. Inspired by this visit, Klaus applied to one of Germany's most prestigious winemaking schools, the Geisenheim Institute. Klaus obtained a degree in

Oenology Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

and

Viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

, and then moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada. In 1987 Klaus became President and Winemaker of Reif Estate Winery. Roberto DiDomenico's father was a winemaker, and Roberto was a winemaker's assistant when he was growing up. In 1985, Roberto attended the

University of Guelph , mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities" , established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922) , type = Public university , chancellor ...

and studied

Microbiology Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...

, focusing on

fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

technology. While a student, Roberto interned at Reif Estate Winery as a research assistant. After graduating in 1989, he joined the winery as winemaker and is still with the winery today.

References

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