Quality is just one of the qualities that makes Niagara special

Southbrook Winery’s Ode to Niagara a way to showcase what’s great in region’s farming and food community

Bill Redelmeier inspects some of the vines at his Niagara-on-the-Lake vineyard. Submitted photo

By Luke Edwards

When it’s a race to the bottom, it’s pretty difficult to move up.

That’s the lesson Bill Redelmeier learned many years ago as he grew up on the family farm in Richmond Hill and branched out on his own. Now, with all that experience under his belt, and a successful winery in Niagara that is at the forefront of marrying quality with respect for the planet, Redelmeier is using Southbrook’s clout to promote the great things going on elsewhere in Niagara’s food and farm sector.

Earlier this summer the winery released Ode to Niagara, a mini documentary that not only promotes Niagara’s terroir and penchant for producing great wines, but also showcases other businesses like King Street Pantry and Always June Organic Farm. The video is part of Southbrook’s effort to partner with like-minded farm and food producers to get people thinking about local food grown right and comes as they celebrate 20 years since the purchase of the vineyard.

The documentary is a natural companion to Southbrook’s new Sunday farm market.

“We’re trying to build a network of farmers who share our values,” Redelmeier said.

This isn’t the first time Redelmeier has made this push. He grew up on a dairy farm in Richmond Hill, Canada’s largest Jersey operation.

“I wasn’t particularly happy with dairy farming and I wasn’t sure why,” he recalled.

As he and his siblings got older, the farm evolved. Redelmeier did some cash cropping and was looking for something else. So they opened a farm market.

What he learned was that a business like that that’s based primarily on price is doomed to fail. As soon as someone lowers their price everyone else is forced to react.

“And then it’s a race to the bottom,” Redelmeier said.

So he decided to base his business on something else. And that something was plural.

“We based it on quality, and qualities,” he said.

That meant local and it meant farmers who shared Redelmeier’s values.

So what are those values? A sign in front of Southbrook’s main entrance offers some clues. It includes 23 different ways Southbrook is reducing its impact on the environment, starting with being certified organic, biodynamic and sustainable, to more specific actions like its solar field, bioswales and conservation areas to promote bee and pollinator health.

Consumer awareness of some of these efforts have improved in recent years, Redelmeier said, but it’s still an uphill battle. So why continue to push?

“Sometime I like to be ornery,” he said, with a slight laugh.

“But if we don’t do it, nobody will.”

The winery was born in 1991, with Redelmeier sourcing his grapes from Niagara. By the early 2000s it became apparent to him that they needed land in Niagara.

“We needed to have more control of the grape growing process,” he said. By late 2007 the wine shop’s move to Niagara-on-the-Lake was underway.

Now, with years of experience, Redelmeier said he and the Southbrook team are happy to share their knowledge with other farmers who share their values but are maybe smaller or just starting out. The market helps do that.

But to make a go of it, Redelmeier said it’s all about adding value and not falling into a familiar trap where farmers aren’t distinguishing their product.

“Too many think that if they get their crop to the end of the driveway, God will take it away,” he said.

That’s where Southbrook’s focus on quality and qualities comes in.

He also encourages growers to find ways to extend the life of their product, turning older strawberries into jam that lasts months, or drying and grinding dated mushrooms to make a seasoning powder.

The idea for the mini-documentary first came up last year. At the time, Redelmeier said they didn’t realize what was ahead of them and the renewed vigour to support local in the face of trade wars and annexation threats from a new U.S. president.

However, its release has happened to coincide with a newfound Canadian agri-patriotism. Either way, Redelmeier’s happy to see more people interested in buying local.

“We’re trying to get people back to thinking about where their food comes from,” he said.

“Local is really important. Without farmers, we’re screwed.”

To celebrate the mini-documentary, the winery held a premiere event that included a Q-and-A with chef Keith Pears last month. It occurred alongside one of the winery’s Sunday markets.

The market is part of Southbrook’s Summer of Sustainability series. It runs Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Other events include Wednesday night socials, organic wine tastings, and daily free self-guided tours of the winery.

For more information on Southbrook’s events or to sign up for its newsletter, visit southbrook.com. The mini-documentary can also be viewed on Southbrook’s YouTube channel.