A few more Ravine wines are on the endangered species list.

06 Cab Franc – 4 cases

07 Sauvignon Blanc – 2 cases

Both are available on-line in quantites of 6 or 12.

Dont’s miss out!

2008 Chardonnay
The 08 Chardonnay was recently slected for an upcoming Vintages release. Look for it in the Vintages section of your local LCBO in March or event better, stop by the winery!

2008 Saugivnon Blanc
An outstanding release with beautiful fruit and nice crisp acidity. Destined to become a summer patio favourite! Trust us when we say, there is no need t o wait until summer to enjoy this tropical noted beauty.

The Ravine Merlot vineyard saga has been interesting to witness. The grapes’ development on the vine was slow and stressed this year, Merlot being one of the most climatically sensitive varieties. The berries were abnormally small, with some troublesome tiny dried berries in the clusters, but the sugar and flavour concentrations of the best berries were sensational. Expecting a lower yield than in past vintages, harvest began Sunday and continued with the favourable weather until Monday afternoon. To ensure that only the finest berries would proceed into our flagship wine, the Ravine winemaking team put together perhaps the industry’s most meticulous berry sorting system. Small boxes of handpicked bunches were first toppled onto a vibrating reception/distribution table to begin the process of removing any small twigs, bugs, leaves or stems. (These are collectively known in the fine wine industry as “MOG” – - ‘matter other than grapes’).

From there the bunches proceeded to make a first pass across a long vibrating sorting table, where a team of four sort everything to remove dried or damaged bunches or berries. The bunches continue up a stainless steel ‘giraffe’ elevator to the destemmer. For these Merlot, Ravine is giving Southbrook Vineyards’ new state-of-the-art destemmer a serious try-out. Imported last year through a collaboration between Ravine winemaker, Peter Gamble, and his wife, Southbrook winemaker Ann Sperling, this unit was the first of its kind in North America. A brand new concept from Tuscany – - with not one single moving part the same as traditional destemmers! – - it has proven to be sensationally thorough and extremely delicate on the grapes. For top-end winemaking, it’s quite incredible!

After destemming, the berries proceed across a third vibrating sorting table where another team of four remove any individual berries that are not deemed to be perfect – - whether drier, ’sunburned’, scarred or slightly less ripe. A final team of two complete this meticulous process with an additional hand sort as the berries collect in the tote, ready for transfer to the fermenter.

Highly respected winemaking compatriot, Thomas Bachelder from Le Clos Jordanne, brought his entire winemaking team down to witness the process and, frankly, thought we we were slightly crazy! He might be right – - it took two full days to sort through only 3 1/2 tonnes!

With the reputation of Ravine’s Merlot as stellar as it is, Shauna White, our passionate associate winemaker overseeing the processing activity, wants to be absolutely sure that the ‘09 will stand out! In a year when excellent winemaking will be paramount, the extra effort on the crush pad and in the cellar may just make the critical difference.

The former tasting room at the back of the house will now be home to a new Reserve Tasting Room that will soon feature select food pairings alongside Ravine’s premium Reserve wines. It will be a truly exceptional way to experience the very best of Ravine’s viticultural efforts. Also directly adjacent to the Reserve Tasting Room and the Parlour is the new Ravine outdoor patio which can accommodate small groups for private outdoor Reserve Food & Wine pairings under the sunshine, overlooking the Vineyard!

We welcome everyone who has visited us before – - and lived through the sawdust and hammering!! – - to enjoy some peace and quiet, and taste the amazing Ravine wines in a spectacular new environment!

Coming soon: Ravine Wines On-Line! Where you’ll be able to purchase Ravine Wines through our on-line store.