Copy of Testimonials
DECANTER MAGAZINE - FEBRUARY 2018
OTTAWA MAGAZINE - MAY 4th 2016
All About the Bubby this Mother's Day
ROD PHILLIPS ON WINE - January 26th 2017
Prince Edward County
TRIP ADVISOR CANADA
#4 of 21things to do in Hillier - take a look here
OTTAWA MAGAZINE - June 25th 2013
WINE TOUR: 12 must-visit wineries for your summer road trip to Prince Edward County
Dreamy Wines - City Bites July 21st, 2013
Drinking the Stars - Read the full article here
Jamie Goode's Wine Blog -
Talks about the 2010 ROSE
Canada Day 1 - July 15th 2013 - Take a look here
National Post - Canada Day: What about June 28 as #CanadianWineDay?
National Post - John Szabo’s Vintages Preview for June 8, 2013
Hinterland. Vicky Samaras and Jonas Newman decided to focus on sparkling wine from the start in 2007, and today make an excellent range of traditional (Les Etoiles; Rosé), charmat (Whitecap; Riesling) and ancestral (Gamay Ancestral) method bubbly. Quantities are always limited and wines sell out quickly (the popular Gamay Ancestral sold out with a couple of weeks of release), so it’s imperative to move fast – I’ve already picked up my case. You’ll also find their Whitecap on tap at Barque and Café-Bar-Pasta in Toronto, and the Wellington Gastro pub in Ottawa, the first local wine producer to offer bubbly on tap.
CHATELAINE Magazine - May 6th 2013
Mediterranean turkey burger - Paired with the WHITECAP
Find the recipe here
Canadian wines rediscovered in London - National Post - May 5th 2013
GLOBE AND MAIL AUGUST 2011
7 wineries to visit in Prince Edward County
Vicki Samaras and Jonas Newman took over a former cow barn in 2006 to create Hinterland Wine Co. The winery focuses exclusively on sparkling wine, so it's no wonder the flagship Les Etoiles is a ringer for good Champagne. The owners of Hinterland Wine Co., housed in a former dairy barn in Ontario’s Prince Edward County, crush grapes where 48 cows once made their home, crafting some of the most compelling new non-French sparkling wines I’ve tasted in years.
GLOBE AND MAIL JANUARY 2012
Canada’s latest bubbly: neon-pink ‘happiness in a glass’
Ancestral, from Hinterland Wine Co. in Ontario’s Prince Edward County, follows a tradition kept alive by old-school producers in Bugey-Cerdon, a relatively obscure appellation in the Jura mountains of eastern France. The name derives from méthode ancestrale, a technique that put fizz in French wine more than a century before the birth of Champagne as we know it.
Spotlight Toronto
Hinterland’s Late Disgorge 2007s: Sparkling That’s Worth the Wait
Zach - Age 8
"I finger taste a lot of my parent's wines and I think Hinterland is the best I have ever
had."
Nathan Arnold
"It's Nathan. I drank too much last night and the ONLY thing that will fix this is your pink bubbles. :) Are you open at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m.?"
REGAL FIZZ A DREAM OF MAKING GREAT SPARKLING ON THE FRINGE - VINES MAGAZINE
“...a single-minded winery that’s become a cult-like obsession to fans of their craft.”
CBC Radio (November 2011): Sparkling Wine with a Rose Petal Blush, Konrad Ejbich
NATIONAL POST FEBRUARY 2012
Happy Hour: A brief tour of bubblies from other parts of the world
Ontario From B.C. to Nova Scotia, Canadian winemakers are coming out with respectable and even great bubbly. Prince Edward County’s Hinterland Wine Company makes products that can only be found in certain Ontario restaurants (see the list at hinterlandwine.com), which is unfortunate because they’re really impressive. Les Etoiles is the most Champagne-like of the bunch by design, but the dry fruit and puckering minerals of the Riesling Traditional Method tickled my fancy. The Hinterland Ancestral is a guilelessly sweet and juicy rosé, an ideal dessert companion.
Will P. Sommelier
"I can drink the s**t out of this!"
John S. Sommelier
Wine List Review: Woodlot Restaurant & Bakery - Best First Date - Hinterland “Les Etoiles”
"Nothing says class and sophistication like sparkling wine, and selecting a local wine of impeccable quality also shows your imagination, deep knowledge, and respect for local craftspeople."
Craig writes:
"It is not a coincidence that 9 months after my wife and I shared a bottle of Ancestral our daughter Lily was born. When you talk to Vicki and Jonas you can hear the passion for wine making in their voices and when you drink their wine you can taste it."
Nicole writes:
"I visited your winery in august 2010. I bought 2 bottles of les etoiles and loved it as much as I love Veuve Cliquot. I opened it in honor of my mom’s birthday and it was love at first taste for everyone. A year later and folks still remember that sparkling. It left a very positive first impression. I kicked my self for not buying more and was not shocked that your stock was depleated quickly."
Paul Prof. U of T Writes:
"Ahh the lands of Trumpour, whose stony fields and brambled hedgerows dost hide the sweetest secret. Known to few, but prized by many, its nectar warms the coolest heart. A journey yes - but not so far - to know this land where wine and friends unite."
Rebecca writes:
"Among the many wineries that populate Prince Edward County, Hinterland is a hidden gem that I'm delighted to have stumbled upon. Their "Les Etoiles" sparkling brut wine is nothing short of remarkable, and I look forward to becoming acquainted with the rest of their offerings. Hinterland's wines add a sparkle to the PEC wine industry like no other! I first discovered their bubbles on the wine list at Langdon Hall and have been in love with them ever since. Keep up the great work Vicki & Jonas"
Cheers
Rebecca LeHeup
Executive Director Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance
"If you’re looking for exceptional Sparkling wine, go to Hinterland! The dedication and love that Vicki and Jonas have for sparklers shines through in every bottle. They are masters of the traditional method, one visit is all it takes, you will no longer need a celebration to pop a bottle!"
Stephen writes:
"I received my case of Ancestral today and waited as long as I could to try it. Since it was cold outside it arrived at a perfectly chilled temperature but I decided 10am was too early! I just opened a bottle. Delicious. Delicate, slightly effervescent. Just lovely.
Do you have any more? I'd like another case if you still have some. Thanks."
Stephen
Hinterland bubbly wine
tingles and so refined
the county's pride
KINGSTON LIFE MARCH 2011
Pop Up: County Crusaders Bank on Bubbly by Chris Waters
“Hinterland’s bubblies became the toast of critics and were listed at some of Toronto’s top restaurants. These are wines with purity and charm that make them suitable stand-ins for capital-C Champagnes from France.”
OTTAWA MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2011
Jonas Newman and Vicki Samaras, the innovative sparkling wine specialists of PEC, have made a delicious, light (seven percent alcohol), off-dry pink, gamay fizz they call “The Babymaker.” Ancestral takes its more serious name from a process used in Bugey, a village along the Rhône River in eastern France. The fizz is created by capturing the CO2 of the primary fermentation (which occurs at very low temperature) to preserve the fruitiness. It’s pale pink and very bright, with a fresh nose of raspberry-redcurrant fruit jam. It’s medium-sweet yet delightfully fresh and pure, with a lingering redcurrant fruit. Great wine in bed — Valentine’s Day or not.
Tony Aspler Says...
Onto Hinterland to meet Jonas Newman (who worked at 13th Street) in his big silver barn. This is a new winery dedicated to making sparkling wine (a good decision for the County). Hinterland made 550 cases in 2007, 750 in '08 and 1200 in '09. Hinterland Rosé Sparkling Wine (orange-pink colour; active and plentiful mousse; a flavour of wild strawberries and redcurrants; light-bodied, very fresh and zesty (89)) and Hinterland Les Etoiles 2007 (pale straw colour; bready, apple nose; dry and elegant green apple flavour. Very crisp, light and clean (90)).
TORONTO LIFE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2010
Tiny Bubbles: Top Picks from Prince Edward County’s First Sparkling Wines by David Lawrason
Hinterland 2007 Les Etoiles
$39.20 | Prince Edward County | 90 points
Out of their converted dairy barn in Hillier, Jonas Newman and Vicki Samaras have crafted a standout pinot noir–based sparkler. Smelling of dried cherry, peach and almond, the pale pink wine is bone dry, with typical County mineral grip and excellent flavour concentration.
David Lawrason Says...
The first pink sparkling bubbly from the County is a pristine effort from the region’s first winery dedicated solely to sparkling wine. It radiated purity and brilliance from start to finish with great colour and a generous nose of raspberry, tea biscuit and wet stone minerality. It’s light and taut with razor acidity and very good length (wanted more). Partners in life and wine, former Scaramouche maitre d’ Jonas Newman and Vicky Samaras operate Hinterland in the “Benway” barn on Closson Road.