Photos by Rowen Fisler/Spoke Online
(Pictured left to right) The logo for Kacaba Vineyards & Winery on a gift box in Vineland, Ont., with Charles Gervais holding a bottle of wine from a signature 2022 collection inside the entrance of the winery, on Nov. 15, 2024.
For all 6,994 days of my life, I have not been a fan of wine.
Whenever I would have sips of it growing up, the bitter taste shot through my body like a volt of electricity. It did not matter what type of wine either; it all tasted the same to me.
I always told myself I would give it a proper shot when I was old enough. Now that I was 19, I figured the best way to see if I liked wine was to go to a winery.
The memory of the bitter taste slowly returned to my mouth just as I made my way through the gates of the winery entrance. I was startled when my passenger broke the silence.
“Why are you making that face… are you chewing something… why are you doing that,” my passenger asked.
The passenger in question was my grandmother (Grandma), Deane Fisler. She had been to many renowned wineries around the world, especially in places around southern France like Bordeaux and Provence.
This was not Bordeaux though, or so we thought. This was Vineland, Ontario. More specifically, Kacaba Vineyards & Winery.
Photo by Rowen Fisler/Spoke Online
Kacaba Vineyards & Winery (pictured) is located in Vineland, Ont., which happens to be home to dozens of wineries. The unique weather and landscape are big factors into what makes this area so special in terms of winemaking.
The bitter taste still lingered as we jumped out of the car, and I still had some uncertainties about the situation.
“Is this typically what a winery looks like? It seems somewhat small,” I inquired.
“Stop asking questions, all that matters is the taste, nothing else,” Grandma ranted.
Okay. Quality is king. As we walked up to the entrance, a man with blue-rimmed glasses, neat hair and a black jacket greeted us.
Charles Gervais is the Founder’s Club Liaison at the winery.
Before we even had time to think, he sprung into action, and started explaining various factors about the wine.
“Our prices are approachable… we’re not trying to squeeze every nickel out of our customers. We’re into providing a really good wine and something that is still reachable and applicable to all our customers,” Gervais said.
“The grapes you’re growing here are going to be very different from the grapes you’re going to be growing on the sandy soil on the old lakebed or the clay soil on top of the Niagara Escarpment,” Gervais continued.
Wow! So much information at once. Although I was overwhelmed, much like Grandma seemed as well, it was really interesting knowledge that I never would’ve known if it wasn’t for Gervais’ wealth of insight on wine.
“These soils are almost identical to the soils in Bordeaux, France,” Gervais said.
My jaw dropped and so did Grandma’s.
“We were just talking about that on the way in… isn’t that something… I would’ve never thought about this region being similar to Bordeaux,” Grandma said.
It’s like he could hear us talking on our drive in.
Photo by Rowen Fisler/Spoke Online
Charles Gervais (pictured) explains the fermentation portion of the winemaking process at Kacaba Vineyards & Winery in Vineland, Ont., on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.
As we continued through the venue, Gervais eventually led us to the wine tasting section, where we began sampling a multitude of choices they had in their wine selection.
He explained how Kacaba focused almost exclusively on red wines, while still producing a few different white wines.
We started with Effervescence Sparkling. Since I hadn’t ever really drank wine, I downed the wine with one gulp. Big mistake.
My Grandma had mentioned previously that although she had experience drinking wine, she had fallen out of love with it. This wine, however, had her captivated.
“Wow, this is quite good. This is something I could drink like every day,” Grandma raved.
I agreed. It was a welcoming wine; it almost tasted like juice. I liked it. Wow. I liked it.
Gervais continued moving up in the intensity of wine, which I liked a lot. Everything Gervais did was incredibly calculated and with reason.
He compared the Proprietor’s Block Syrah and the Terraced Vineyard Syrah as the drinker and the thinker.
It was just one of the many times while I tasted each sample where I understood completely what he meant.
Whether it was the texture, the taste, the overall experience of the wine swishing around before you swallow it, it was just spot on every time. It was uncanny.
Photo by Rowen Fisler/Spoke Online
One of the many barrels which is used for the aging segment of the winemaking process found at Kacaba Vineyards & Winery in Vineland, Ont., on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.
After our taste tour, we ventured onto other parts of the winery.
Gervais led us to the cellar, where a boatload of barrels could be found. These barrels contained all the different varieties of wine Kacaba sells.
I was stunned by the sheer volume of barrels; Grandma informed me that this was quite normal. My bad, still my first game in the big leagues.
We were then led to a room with these huge cylinders, which is where the magic happens in the winemaking process. This is where the grapes went after being pressed, so all the other key ingredients needed to make wine could be added, beginning the fermentation stage.
Photo by Rowen Fisler/Spoke Online
Fermentation tanks were one of the crucial pieces of equipment used in the winemaking process at Kacaba Vineyards & Winery in Vineland, Ont., on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.
Growing up, I always heard through the grapevine that winemaking was an art. I never fully understood that until I experienced all that Kacaba had to offer.
Every small detail mattered in this process. Gervais and so many others dedicated their life practically year in and year out to get every little part of the process right.
There is something admirable about being able to provide a consistent product. The process is like a dance routine. They have practised over and over what each person needs to do and what the overall process and product will be like; and they’ve mastered it.
Photo by Rowen Fisler/Spoke Online
Vines weave past a fencepost weeks after the grape harvesting at Kacaba Vineyards & Winery that took place on Nov. 4, 2024.
After the tour concluded, Grandma was convinced. She had fallen in love with wine again.
“Rowen, don’t let me buy too many bottles… I need to save some so me and Grandpa can come back and get more,” Grandma said.
I promised her I would not. She ended up buying a few different bottles, and then we were on our way.
I was mesmerized. An opinion that lasted my whole life had disappeared into thin air. This was definitely something I could get used to.
“Grandma, I think I love wine too,” I said.
