The Hot Spot
Burning Kiln Winery’s reputation is blazing after only one year in operation.
Actually, luck has nothing to do with the award. Mike McArthur, one of Burning Kiln’s owners, attributes the wine’s smooth yet smoky taste to the unique way it was made. Burning Kiln is the only winery in southern Ontario that uses the Italian appassimento (“to dry and shrivel”) method of winemaking, which involves drying ripe grapes on mats or slated crates before fermentation. Drying grapes intensifies their sugars, boosts the acids and balances the tannins in the wines, producing heartier and deeper-colored table wines that are 14 to 16 percent alcohol, compared with the average of 10 to 13 percent for most other dinner wines.
“We discovered we were able to use this ancient process by accident,” says McArthur, a lawyer by trade and a founding member and president of Ontario’s South Coast Wineries and Growers’ Association.
“Our winery was once a tobacco farm, and still had some of the original kilns that were once used to cure tobacco,” he continues. “Our first harvest was in 2010, and we put the grapes to dry into the kilns, which were just being used as storage sheds. The kilns created a more controlled environment and airflow, and prevented mold and rot on the grapes. We produced some fabulous wines from that crop.”
Through contacts, the partners hired seasoned winemaker Andrzej Lipinski, who had learned the appassimento method at a winery in northern Italy. At first, Lipinski questioned whether grapes could be cured in tobacco kilns, but after tasting the winery’s first product, created by Patti Fixter (the wife of partner Scott Fixter), he told the owners he’d give dry a try.
Fast forward to 2012. Lipinski is sampling Kiln Hanger, a red wine that’s 16.5 percent alcohol and made from the Cabernet Franc grape. The wine is scheduled to be bottled this spring. Drawing a taster from an oak barrel where the wine is aging, he fills a glass with reddish-purple liquid and holds it up to the light.
“What’s better to drink than wine?” he says with a smile. “Life’s too short to drink water.”
The downside of appassimento is it’s a very slow and labor-intensive process. Grapes must be picked by hand to avoid bruising the skin, which would ruin the grape during the drying. Therefore, the wines tend to be a tad more expensive.
But the extra work doesn’t bother Fixter, who watches the grape vines like Bacchus’ mother. “I have a gazillion little babies out there, and when they come in here we like to pamper them,” she says.
Visitors to the winery may feel similarly pampered as they sample the vintages on the patio, along with a casual dining menu of tapas and locally made cheeses. It’s also nice to drink in the lush, landscaped views of forests, a pond and the 23-acre vineyard.
Note how the vinifera vines are planted on gentle slopes in rows facing north to south, which allow for maximum sun exposure. Planting on a slope maximizes air circulation, McArthur says, which assists in preventing low frost pockets. In addition, several wind machines in the vineyard protect the grapes during late spring frosts, early fall frosts and extremely cold winter days by pulling warm air down during extreme cold temperature changes and raising the air temperature around the vines and grapes.
All of that work to make flavorful wines. And you thought it was just luck.
Perfect Pairings
- Kiln Hanger ($49.95 CAD): This dark and rich red pairs well with hearty dishes, like steak with blue cheese or a pasta with gorgonzola sauce.
- Riesling ($19.95 CAD): This crisp Alsatian-style white has lime, peach and honey aromas. Serve as an appetizer wine with cheese, or for dinner with spicy Asian fare.
- Pinot Noir ($34.95 CAD): “Not a Pinot for the faint of heart,” the winery advertises. Taste black cherry and spice in this full-bodied red, to be served with rare strip loin steak.
Story:
Benjamin Gleisser
May/June 2012