Westcott Vineyards

About Westcott Vineyards

Westcott Vineyards and Winery is a small, artisanal winery focused on hand-crafted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. It all starts in the vineyard where the wine grows. In early spring our crew prune the vines under the direction of our viticulturist Alain Sutra. We aim to achieve optimal vine balance by carefully gauging each vine's maturity, vigor and health and pruning accordingly. Throughout the growing season we follow "sustainable" vineyard practices. We use only natural fertilizers and make many small decisions to obtain optimal balance in our vines and soil. We believe that lower yields in the vineyard produce a better quality wine. In our vineyards, our pruning approach and the use of natural practices results in yields of 1.5 tonnes per acre. The vine canopy is thinned throughout the summer so that the clusters of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir can benefit to the maximum of all the natural contributions of clay loam soil, limestone, sunshine and bountiful rainfall that Niagara has to offer. In the fall when the grapes have reached their natural level of maturity, they are hand-picked and then sorted again so that only fully mature fruit enters the winery.

At the winery, our winemaker Arthur Harder takes over. The grapes are hand sorted to ensure only the finest fruit is processed. We believe in minimal manipulation in the winemaking process. We produce low volume hand crafted authentic Niagara wine where "terroir" and growing conditions typically produce subtle variations from year to year. Each year we strive to make better wine not more wine. As a team we are convinced that we can make VQA wines that sit among the best in the world.

Representative Biography

Carolyn Hurst, Co-owner

It’s all about passion. Carolyn Hurst and Grant Westcott fell in love with each other first and with Niagara Chardonnay and wine region subsequently. After exciting careers in the world of IT and banking they were looking for a life style change. A lifelong passion for wine and country living led them to the Niagara Escarpment and the joys of viticulture in a cool climate.

Why We're Cool

Great wine, quality wine, is really a story of passionate people. Why? It’s simple. Great wine is crazy hard work. And growing Chardonnay in the Cool Climate Vinemount Ridge appellation is harder than most. It requires year round dedication to tending grapes and vines. Every vine and every bunch of grapes is checked, pruned, thinned, managed and every rough weather day teared and sweated. This is what quality in wine means to us, while passionate is really another word for nutty. We’re passionate about making extraordinary wine. Thankfully, we're not alone.