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Non Members $65.00
Sunday, May 26, 2002

For Gary Pillitteri, the opening of Pillitteri Estates Winery in June 1993 was the culmination of a lifetime dream. The family vineyards were initially established in 1948 and through the years, the Pillitteri family has gradually been adding to their production with new varietals and Icewines. The grapes used by Pillitteri Estates Winery are primarily harvested from the family's 53 acres of vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake, with production of 100 per cent Ontario vinifera and French hybrid grapes. Today, total annual winery production is about 200,000 litres - with room for additional capacity.

Winemaker - Sue-Ann Staff: Originally from the Niagara Peninsula, Sue-Ann has a long family background in viticulture spanning five generations. Her schooling has taken her from Guelph University, where she became a Horticulture O.A.C. graduate, to across the world where she graduated from the University of Adelaide, Roseworthy College in Southern Australia.

Her philosophy is simple: "To produce the finest wines possible from the highest quality Niagara Peninsula grapes". Her strategy, however, is much more complex. She must treat each vineyard and wine individually since they each have their own "personality" which must be expressed. "My goal is to vinify wine for the Pillitteri family which they can be proud of. Full-bodied reds; rich, fragrant and lively whites; and luscious Icewines".

Don Ziraldo joined forces with Karl Kaiser in 1975 to found this winery. Committed to creating high-quality domestic wines and challenged by the need to compete on the world stage, the partners pioneered the estate winery movement in Canada. They were eventually rewarded for their efforts when Inniskillin captured the Citadelle d'Or Award, Grand Prix d'Honneur, given for its 1989 Icewine at Vinexpo, Bordeaux, France.

Since then, Inniskillin has created global alliances in the 1990s through Inniskillin Napa Vineyards (Terra) in California's Napa Valley and Inniskillin's partnership with Jaffelin of Burgundy, France. Inniskillin was instrumental in founding the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA), an organization responsible for maintaining the highest standards in Canadian viticulture and winemaking.

Winemaker - Philip Dowell: Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Philip studied agricultural science after leaving school, with practical experience in such diverse areas as cattle breeding, pecan cultivation and farming in Norway. He moved to South Australia in 1984 to work full time in the wine industry at the innovative Wirra Wirra in McLaren Vale. Philip subsequently moved back to Victoria to work with Domaine Chandon Australia and establish its newly acquired Greenpoint property in the Yarra Valley.

Offered a senior winemaking position at prestigious Coldstream Hills in 1988, Philip also worked with Australia's foremost wine writer, James Halliday. Here Philip gained a truly global perspective on the industry as he made wines for export to a variety of markets around the world. In 1998, Philip accepted the position of General Manager and Winemaker of Inniskillin at a pivotal time when the Canadian wine industry was starting to gain acceptance on the world stage. His responsibilities include overseeing winemaking at all Inniskillin properties in Niagara.

While on their honeymoon in California's Napa Valley, Peter Jensen and his wife Laura McCain Jensen discovered their passion "to enter into the wine business". Their dream is to become the only privately owned, multi-provincial wine company in Canada. With the purchase of two 30-acre farms and one winery/farm estate in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, and "VP Cellars", now known as Creekside Estate Winery, and a vineyard in St. David's Ontario, the Jensens are well on their way to achieving their dream.

Creekside has evolved from a small retail based 3,000 case facility into a 28,000 case winery. Creekside's thirteen-acre vineyard near Jordan is planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Shiraz. The 50-acre St. David's vineyard is planted with Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Voignier. The Jensens are committed to producing quality VQA wines in Canada.

Winemaker - Marcus Ansems: He has 10 years of winemaking experience having been introduced to the industry at a very early age. His family owns a small but famous winery called Mt. Langhi Ghiran, in Australia. At 27 years old, Marcus is the youngest winemaker in Canada. He was born just outside of Melbourne Australia. While finishing his junior schooling in Sydney, he continued to maintain yearly vintage work in the industry. At Mt. Langi Ghiran, under the instruction of his Uncle, Trevor Mast, he learned some of the nuances that make his winemaking so exciting.

While attending university in South Australia at the historic Roseworthy College, he did two vintages per year in different regions. This led him to a medium sized producer Evans and Tate, followed by a small but dynamic young winery, Hay Shed Hill, in Western Australia. From Australia Marcus went to Simonsig Estate in South Africa. Marcus taught them the Australian techniques of working with Shiraz. During 1996-1997, he did an exchange with the Tuscany winery Isole e Olena. From Tuscany he moved on to France and worked with a small Northern Rhone Consulting Service. Missing the beaches and his homeland, he moved back to Australia and worked for a family winery called Baldivis Estate. His two-year contract complete, he received a call from Creekside "Have you ever been to Canada?". The rest is in the glass.