Trail Estate Winery Opens Today!

The latest winery to join the ranks in Prince Edward County is Trail Estate Winery. Run by 4 members of the Sproll family (and complemented by the winemaking skills of Matthias Luck), it really is a family affair! They currently have 1 acre under vine and have planted an additional 6. As their vines are not ready to produce yet, their first wines are made with Niagara fruit (all from Ed Hughes).

Son Alex Sproll, who looks after Sales & Marketing, was gracious enough to send me samples of the new wines before they opened – it took me a couple weeks to get to them and write them up. Given that they open today (May 31st), I’m going to claim Just-In-Time delivery!

Here’s what they have on offer right now.

2013 Trail Estate Sauvignon Blanc: Pale yellow with light notes of pear, red apple and citrus. Light herbaceous/grassy note. The palate is a fresh and crisp repeat of the aromas with citrus and grassy notes becoming a bit more dominant. There’s a mouth-watering acidity that cleanses the palate and leaves you with a long lemon peel finish. Would be a great match for fresh summer salads, although I found it great with some lightly grilled chicken and asparagus as well.
4.2g/L RS, 13.6% ABV. $26

Trail Estate Unoaked Chardonnay: There’s a strong lemon-lime component to the nose, with green apple and a hint of peach. The palate is very crisp citrus notes – lemon and white grapefruit with just a hint of sweetness, and then a clean grapefruit pith finish. Zesty! Would be great on a patio on a hot afternoon, alone or paired with pesto-based pasta.
4.7g/L RS, 13.4% ABV. $26

Trail Estate White: A blend of 90% Riesling, 10% Gewurztraminer brings lots of fruit to the nose – red apple, melon, kiwi, and pleasant floral notes. The palate is fresh red and green apple, citrus, and some steely minerality. The wine is dry with very little residual sugar, leading to a tart green apple finish. Another one that is fine to sip alone, or pair with Pad Thai.
8.4g/L RS, 12.8%. $22

Trail Estate Rosé: This pale salmon rose with pink hues has light strawberry and raspberry on the nose, and added some buckwheat honey as it warmed. Also finished dry, the palate is dominated by sour cherry and tart strawberry with some rhubarb and red currant notes. With loads of acidity, the wine finishes crisp with a lengthy rhubarb and red currant note. 100% Pinot Noir. We served this with a charcuterie plate and it paired quite well with most of the sausages and cured meats.
4.5g/L RS, 12.9%. $24

Trail Estate Winery is open 11:30am-6pm, Saturday, Sunday and holiday Mondays (as well as Canada Day).
Address: 416 Benway Road, Hillier, Ontario K0K 2J0
Phone: 647-233-8599

As noted, these wines were provided free of charge for review. You can see my sample policy here for more details.