You’ve probably heard of orange wine, or at least seen it on a cool restaurant menu. 

So, what exactly is orange wine?

Our influences in life can take us on unexpected journeys.  My mothers influence made Vermouth and inevitability for Traynor Vineyard.

Over the decades Sauvignon Blanc has been a hate/love relationship for me.  I used to hate making it, but the in the process of learning how to make it I began to love it.  

Not only did I gain a new appreciation for the variety, but the knowledge I gained on my Sauvignon Blanc journey has made me a better winemaker.

Pet-Nat (or Petillant Naturel) is amongst the trendiest wine styles out there.  What is it, and where did it come from?  We sum up the story to help explain why we spend so much of our energy at Traynor making and promoting Pet-Nat, and why we believe that Pet-Nat is one of the best ways of expressing the terroir of Ontario and Prince Edward County.

In my seventeen vintages as a winemaker, I have never had a fermentation behave like this one did.

Normally, what happens when you put a wine through a rigorous lees-stirring program is that you lose a lot of the fruit and the wine becomes more “bready”. I think because the wine finished fermentation after the lees stirring, it developed more fruit aromas. Our Traynor Family Vineyard Estate Chardonnay, while packed with biscuity, pastry notes and a round, rich, and soft mouthfeel, is still packed with fruit: it’s got plenty of ripe cantaloupe, honeydew melon, poached pear, and baked apples – not just a simple little chard!

Orange wine is being called the “new” fall wine, but interestingly enough, it’s has been around a lot longer than you think.

At Traynor Family Vineyards, we make about 1000 cases of wine per year, so technically we are classified as a small-batch winery, or a “garagiste”, if you will. We are a 100% owned and operated family-run winery and have become known for our natural winemaking methods as much as for our friendly, welcoming style in our Prince Edward County tasting room.