BELLE VIVANTE – Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery . . . “Spruced-Up” Beauty & Elegance Awaits
By Sherrilynn Colley-Vegh and Tracey Harding
Perfectly timed for Biz X’s County theme, our two Belle Vivantes headed out to the newly renovated Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery to indulge in a wine tasting and tour.
Operating since 2006, this family run business was opened by Hannah and Gord Mitchell. It is currently owned and operated by their children, siblings Steve Mitchell, Tanya Mitchell, Jake Mitchell and Marlaina Auger. The property is situated at 7258 County Road 50 West, in Amherstburg and online.
Sprucewood is the only winery with their own private beach in Ontario, a beautiful backdrop along with the ponds, patios and gardens available for the weddings, events and fundraisers they have booked.
There are lots of great activities held here, such as wine tastings, tours, the Sprucewood family wine club, scavenger hunts, music on the patio and “beach find” craft activities.
In mid-April an Open House reveal was held to showcase recent renovation changes that have been made at the winery in addition to the outdoor space, with a pergola-covered patio completed in 2023.
The interior space has been revamped to provide an enhanced and seamless experience for their customers to enjoy the wines and food. The pride of their update is a floor-to-ceiling wine shelf to display their award-winning wines, beside a new main service bar complete with wine preservation systems, quartz countertops and more service frontage.
We will get back to more renovation updates a bit later, for now we focus on the beverages available at the winery, which include a versatile selection of 22 wines ranging from ultra dry to sweet.
Sprucewood’s wine menu includes fun and fruity wines through to the more serious and full bodied reds, and everything in between. (Note they also serve local beer and coolers).
Their knowledgeable and friendly servers can help you decide on your tasting options. You may want to talk to them about their best sellers and what labels are not available through the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.
On our visit we knew exactly what to order and began our tasting with the curated Red and White Flight.
A glass of Sprucewood Shores Pinot Grigio was up first. Light and citrusy with grapefruit, notes of honey and stone fruit, a summer refresher to be sure. This easy drinking wine is perfect for a hot summer barbeque.
The second sample is the Sprucewood Shores Dry Riesling, a very true to style Canadian Riesling. With flavours like crisp apples and stone fruit, this was an amazing companion to the jalapeno mac n’ cheese bites.
The first of the red wines is the Cabernet Sauvignon — yummy blackberry and notes of vanilla with a lasting peppery note. This was a little deceptive as the wine was not heavy, just full of robust flavour. The last wine in this foursome is Lady in Red, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A jammy fragrance is no surprise. Rich with deep currants, cherries and cranberries. We would love to try this wine with chocolate covered cherries or Black Forest Cake.
We did get a suggestion from Customer Experience Manager Melanie Mason to try two of their award-winning wines and we were absolutely delighted.
The Merlot Hawk’s Flight Reserve has won two gold medals. The great rich colour hints at the wonderful raspberry and plum flavour to come. It has an undertone of spices similar to what you would find in plum pudding.
Our final tasting was extremely pleasurable: Appassimento Hawk’s Flight.
This is usually associated with the production of Amarone. Such a rare process to find in Ontario, it is usually a process reserved for Vidal wines in Canada.
Appassimento translates to “fading” or “withering” in Italian and refers to a winemaking process where dried grapes, instead of fresh grapes, are fermented. When winemakers use the Appassimento process, they create wines that are full-bodied and packed with intense fruit, balanced acidity and sometimes sweetness.
We felt like we were swept away to Italy . . . the wines as beautiful as the newly renovated tasting room.
New banquette seating with oak tables and chairs, and an enhanced gathering/conference room with beam work spanning the walls and ceiling, create more seating and service options for winery clients and small events. All the chandeliers and wall sconce lighting have been replaced, artwork reframed, bathrooms updated, and walls painted with lighter colours.
There is also a cute retail counter space with wine accessories, locally crafted chocolates, dog treats and unique gift items in the main tasting hall.
The team at Sprucewood Shores worked together with Façade Interiors & Furniture for interior design selections and Mills Woodworking and Seamless Innovations for cabinetry. Other suppliers include Nussio Electrical, Out of the Barn Rustorations, Casagrande Granite and Marble, Trevar Lawrence Painting, and Hi! Neighbor Floor Covering Company.
Vice-President and Winemaker Tanya Mitchell comments: “This will drastically improve the fluidity of our operations; improve our service to enhance our customers experience for both winery shop sales and private events. Plus, it looks gorgeous and ties all the beauty of Sprucewood together in a central and welcoming space.”
We couldn’t agree more . . . Cheers to the Mitchell family on your success and to all who helped complete the renovation work!
Sherrilynn Colley-Vegh has travelled to over 50 countries exploring what the world has to offer in food, wine, music, art, and fashion. She is a community leader, journalist, business owner, music manager, former educator, Chief Communications Officer, and Athena Award recipient. Tracey Harding has deep roots in southwestern Ontario, but has wined, dined and lived in many countries. She has worked in fashion, real estate/décor, hospitality and food service/tour industries and is an award-winning amateur cook plus a Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 1 Sommelier.