Ontario’s Most Northerly VQA winery, Kin Vineyards

A specialist in chardonnay and pinot noir.

Writer Rod Phillips

The village of Carp (population less than 2,000), about 30 kilometres from downtown Ottawa, is notable for a couple of reasons. One is the network of bunkers built during the Cold War to house federal government communications in the event of nuclear attack. Another is a nearby swamp where a UFO was widely reported to have landed in 1989.

Carp’s more recent claim to fame might be less sensational, but it’s meaningful: it’s the home of Ontario’s most northerly VQA vineyard, Kin Vineyards.

The winery began as a test vineyard planted in 2012 with nine hybrid and vinifera varieties. The results showed the potential of the area for vinifera and led to the planting of chardonnay and pinot noir in Kin’s Carp Ridge vineyard in 2014. Kin’s first and only winemaker, Brian Hamilton, consulted on the 2012 test planting, and he has been making Kin’s wine since. “It was the recognition of our site’s potential and the outstanding terroir that attracted my attention and kept me at Kin Vineyards, moving into our 11th year and ninth vintage.”

Hamilton started as a chiropractor, but he was “bitten by the wine bug,” as he puts it, when he volunteered to pick grapes at Malivoire winery in Niagara. He studied viticulture and oenology at Brock University, and then worked at wineries in Niagara, California, and New Zealand before returning to Niagara, where he was associate winemaker at Southbrook Vineyards for eight years.

The wineries he worked at were specialists in chardonnay and pinot noir, the signature varieties of Burgundy, so it’s not surprising that those are the two varieties planted in the 10 acres of vines in Kin’s Carp Ridge Vineyard. On land that gently slopes toward the Carp River, the vines receive full sun exposure all day long in a region known to be one of the sunniest in the province, while grey limestone provides good water drainage and frost protection. Still, growing grapes at this latitude is a challenge, and the vines have to be buried after harvest to protect them from winter temperatures.

The wines from these vines show a light winemaking touch and are classic cool-climate efforts. Kin Carp Ridge Chardonnay 2021 delivers layered tropical flavours with veneer of oak, complemented by the clean, bright acidity you expect from these growing conditions. Its sibling, Kin Carp Ridge Pinot Noir 2021 is light in hue and weight, an elegant pinot that’s all tart red cherries and cranberries with finely calibrated fresh acidity. Kin Carp Ridge Skin-Fermented Chardonnay 2023 is a lovely example of the style, with a leesy, yeasty nose, flavours of yellow fruit and herbs, and a vibrant texture.

The through-style of all three suits current preferences for wines that are relatively high in acid, low in fruit intensity and wood-influence, and modest in alcohol. Hamilton describes the style he aims for as “terroir driven, unoaked or lightly oaked, and fruit focused with fresh or higher acid to show a pure expression of site and age-worthiness.” He’s captured it in these bottles, and medals from the Decanter World Wine Awards in the United Kingdom testify to their quality.

Hamilton also brings in grapes from Niagara Peninsula to fill out his annual production of 2,000 to 2,500 cases. He selects growers based on sustainable farming practices and quality to make wines such as cabernet franc, an unoaked chardonnay, a pinot noir rosé, a gamay, and a sparkling vidal and rosé. A highlight is the Kin Vineyards Gamay 2023, sourced from Niagara’s Lincoln Lakeshore subappellation. It’s a beautiful wine that delivers flavours of ripe red fruit and berries and a touch of earthiness, all partnered with breezy acidity.

Kin Vineyards has a seasonal restaurant and tasting room on site, and also a wine bar and restaurant, The Twin Muses, in the village of Carp. Its menu features local ingredients, and its wine list includes several vintages of Kin wines by the glass and bottle, and also wines from wineries in Prince Edward County and Niagara Peninsula and beers from local microbreweries. The Twin Muses captures the spirit of Kin, named for the importance of community.

For anyone visiting the National Capital Region or dropping in from outer space, Kin Vineyards and The Twin Muses are well worth a visit.