The art of winemaking is challenging and tedious to master. The reason for this is the process is very slow. Growing and making wine is a once a year event and due to the extreme cost of making wine, there is very little room for error. Everything you learn must happen in this narrow window and the fastest way to learn is under the mentorship of someone who has done it many years before you.
I was blessed to start my career under the mentorship of the very talented winemaker JL Groux. I had the opportunity to learn classical old world techniques and the art of assemblage while gaining valuable years of experience working with the Niagara terroir, where I was born and raised. My future will be spent mastering my winemaking techniques and abilities while making great wines from Niagara
My future goals consist of travelling as much as possible to gain more experience with different winemaking methods that are being used around the world. There is so much knowledge out there still to be found and I want to learn it all and bring it back to Niagara to continue making wine in one of the most unique terroirs you can find.
A top priority of mine is to reciprocate the mentorship I received at the beginning of my career. Whether its in the winery, vineyard, or post secondary teaching, I want to be able to share the knowledge I have gained with the next generation of Niagara winemakers.
I plan to put a focus on sustainability and furthering sustainable wine growing in Ontario. One of the first things that attracted me to Stratus was the sustainability program and their dedication to environmental stewardship.
The Niagara region is a special place with a very unique climate and soils. We have the Niagara river, one of the most famous rivers in the world. Past farming and industrial practices have not been respectful of the beauty that nature and our ancestors left for us. Many generations relied on the Niagara river for food and within a generation we practically destroyed it. When was the last time you saw fish from the Niagara river on a restaurant menu? Possibly never. Our government recommends limiting consumption of fish from the river due to contamination. Should we continue to accept this as the way things are?
Future generations will judge us harshly on our environmental record and the time to act is now if we want to start repairing our ecosystems. The ability of nature to heal like we heal our bodies is astounding. Beneficial microbes have an incredible ability to clean and rejuvenate our rivers and streams. The only problem is, to start this healing process we need to stop the self-inflicted cuts and begin becoming more sustainable to give nature a chance to catch up. My goal is to focus on helping not only the wine industry but other industries to become more sustainable and ensure the future of the Niagara regions viability and growth.
Sustainability is a means to provide for our future generations. There is no other way forward.
