Adamo Estate winery launches its first collection of wines

July 8, 2015 · 0 Comments

The Adamo name has become well-known in the area with their successful venture, Hockley Valley Resort, having become a destination for weddings, special events, romantic getaways and corporate and charity events. With a championship 18-hole golf course and a 8,000-square-foot spa, the resort has continued to grow in popularity, with the Adamo family at its helm.

Now, as the next generation of Adamo owners have moved forward, they have taken on another venture, aiming to establish Hockley Valley as Ontario’s ‘next important winemaking region’ with their new 77-acre vineyard and 20,000 square foot facility dedicated to making wine.

On Tuesday, Adamo Estate Winery announced the introduction of their first collection of single estate wines, described as having been produced in ‘quintessential Ontario winemaking tradition’ right in the heart of Hockley Valley.

A press release from Adamo Estate Winery portrays it as the first full-scale winemaking venture that has embraced the terroir and micro-climate conditions unique to this area of Ontario.

The new winery can trace its beginnings back to a rustic barn on a vineyard property neighbouring Hockley Valley Resort. The vineyard’s first 2000 vines were planted in 2011, with the vineyard steadily growing each year. Now, it boasts 23,000 vines across nearly 20 acres on the property.

“We are focused on making Adamo Estate Winery a model for local production in the tradition of established Ontario winemakers,” said winery owner John Paul Adamo, in the release. “This is about fruit and origin, taking advantage of the unique characteristics of the region, and most importantly, handcrafting great Ontario wines.”

The Adamos describe the winery as a family affair, coming from decades of a vision held by Mario Adamo, who, with his wife Nancy, purchased Hockley Valley Resort in October 1985. It was then a small, 28-room hotel, hidden in the rolling hills of Hockley Valley.

Having grown the resort, added beautiful gardens where food is produced for their restaurants, the family now has successfully pursued the next step – their own winery.

“When [our parents] first bought the property we thought they were crazy,” Julie Adamo-Cass told the Citizen in an interview last year. Julie owns both the resort and winery with her brother, John Paul. “It was run down and decrepit. But they slowly transformed it into what it is today. It’s an all-year round resort and we’re always improving. It’s always evolving.”

Mario’s children, John Paul and Julie, have headed up the winery’s operations with some experienced and well-known members of the Ontario wine-making community, bringing expertise to the launch.

Jonas Newman, from Hinterland Wine Company in Prince Edward County, serves as their exclusive Consultant Winemaker, and Shauna White, who is a veteran of both B.C.’s Okanagan Valley and the Niagara Peninsula, joined the team over a year ago as Vineyard and Winery Manager.

Currently included in the Adama Estate Winery’s first collection of wines is the 2014 Adamo Series Vidal, 2014 Chardonnay Musque, 2014 Gamay Noir, 2013 Merlot, 2014 Riesling, 2013 Chardonnay, 2014 Rose, and a 2013 Pinot Noir.

“We are really passionate about what we do,” Julie said last year. “It’s all about quality and never compromising on that. It’s a big business but it’s family-run. Our parents built this legacy and we don’t take that for granted. We do the work. If anything, we have to work harder to prove ourselves.”

The winery has seen a great start, with their vines producing 500 cases of wine in 2013 and 5,000 in 2014. This year, they are expecting their vineyard to produce 7,500 cases, which means 60,000 bottles of wine.

The Adamos use a tailored, integrated barrel program for their wines, which includes custom-made Albrigi tanks from Verona, Italy, along with French oak barrels.

The 20,000 square-foot production facility for the winery is mid-construction and expected to be functional in time for the September harvest, with a retail section slated to open in spring of 2016.

The Adamo Estate wines are currently being sold to licensees through B & W Wines, and have already been added to the wine lists at a number of Toronto restaurants, which include Ruth’s Chris, Sotto Sotto, Archive Wine Bar, Boxcar, Boxcar Social, L’Unita, Capocaccia, Goodlake, Prop and Auberge du Pommier.

On Wednesday, the winery also launched online sales of their product direct from the Adamo Estate Winery website.

For more information, or to make a purchase, visit www.adamoestate.com.

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