Our Vineyards
Our Vineyards
Here at Rockway vineyards we believe the wines are not made but grown. Each wine reflects the single vineyard of its origin, the soil, the meso-climate, the aspect and the people that hand tend the vines. We take pride with each bottle, as it is hand-harvested and hand-crafted, with great attention to detail and minimal winemaking intervention.
The Rockway Vineyards are located on premium grape growing land in the Twenty-Mile bench sub appellation. The soils here are rich in minerals, mainly lacustrine silty clay, and we have great sun exposure and are not hidden from the shadows of the bench forest. Our vines also benefit from the lake breeze circulations, which balance the temperatures and ensure steady warming in the spring, and gradual cooling in the fall. We choose varietals best suited and expressive of their unique place of origin with an emphasis on Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Pinot and Syrah. We also have a very small planting of Gewurztraminer, Vidal and most recently as of spring 2021 Pinot Gris.
While we produce 95% of our wines from our estate vineyard we also work with passionate quality-minded local growers in the Niagara region to expand our portfolio of terroir-driven wines.
Winemaker Simone brings a wealth of global experience to Rockway Vineyards. Her philosophy is to care for the grape on the vine and maintain, as much as possible, a hands-off and minimal intervention approach in the cellar to allow the true expression of the terroir.
East Vineyard
West Vineyard
Our Winery
Our Winery
Our goal is to deliver a pure expression of the varietal and vineyard character, while respecting vintage variation in every wine that we produce.
The grapes are first sorted in the vineyard prior to picking, where our hand harvested grapes are then brought to the winery for processing. We have a small 1.5ton press for all our small batch picks, the juice is then transferred to our stainless-steel tanks which are equipped with heating and cooling measures for precise temperature control. We have a preferred range of French cooperages we use for the wines which merit oak aging. However, in keeping true to our expression of the variety and vineyard we use only a small amount of new oak for texture and secondary complexities. We avoid most additives and strive to produce wines that are un-fined with minimal Sulphur dioxide (SO2) to preserve their freshness and quality and to permit them to age gracefully.