Where food meets wine, that’s where you’ll find Good Earth

By Rick VanSickle

Why, yes there is a giant fork at the edge of the vineyard at the Good Earth Food and Wine Company in Beamsville.

It’s symbolic of the symbiotic relationship between fresh, local chef-inspired food and the wines that pair so perfectly with whatever chef executive chef Andrew Thorne is preparing.

Niagara wine — Ilya Senchuk, winemaker at Good Earth.

It’s also symbolic of the change in ownership over the years from founder and original proprietor Nicolette Novak to Christine Flynn for a brief stint and now the Carmens Group, a Hamilton-based hospitality, food-production and development company. Through all those changes, the fork has stood tall as a reminder of Novak’s original vision of that special bound between 100% Niagara wines and the bounty of fresh produce grown in that exact same soil.

The Good Earth was established in 2010 on the north side of Highway 8. The winery, tasting room, patios and restaurant sit on a 50-acre parcel of land with 10 acres of vines planted only to Riesling and Cabernet Franc. Since 2016 the wines have been made by Ilya Senchuk, a highly respected winemaker and owner of Leaning Post Wines with his wife Nadia.

Senchuk and Thorne have survived all the changes since Novak originally sold the property, making them the one constant that’s keeping the focus on both wine and food. With the acquisition of Good Earth by Carmens, Senchuk sees a new era for Good Earth that gets back to the basics. “They really want to reinvigorate the wine program,” which he says wasn’t a the top priority under the previous owner.

Carmens Group CEO PJ Mercanti said of the acquisition: “With over 45 years of experience in events and hospitality, we are thrilled to welcome this beautiful winery and restaurant to the Carmens Group family. The winery’s founders and leadership team have done a remarkable job in building a world-class winery and restaurant brand with a tremendously loyal following. We look forward to continuing to invest into the property and making Good Earth one of the premier destinations for wine, dining and private events in the Niagara Region.”

The Carmens Group has over the years expanded their portfolio to include the C Hotel, Baci Ristorante, Hamilton Convention Centre, Lakeview., fig & lemon catering, Arlington Hotel, River’s Edge and Mama Yolanda’s Gourmet Lasagna Production Company. In 2015, brothers PJ and Joe Mercanti purchased the business from their father, Peter, and under their leadership has continued its growth. Today, the company leads a consortium, the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group, that is championing the revitalization of downtown Hamilton’s arts and entertainment district, fostering relationships with world class development partners and working tirelessly to put Hamilton on the map.

Carmens Group made it clear from the beginning that the property’s wine operations would continue to thrive under the current wine production team, led by Senchuk while the existing culinary team of Good Earth was retained. They also announced the hiring of Niagara veteran Matt Loney (previously at Niagara Custom Crush Studio and still working with the Stoney Ridge and Tragically Hip brands) as general manager.

It’s a solid, veteran team that bodes well for the resurgence of Good Earth, which has always been a favourite for local residents in Niagara and not so much a secret anymore for consumers looking for both good locally farmed food and 100% VQA wine.

As one of Southern Ontario’s leading wedding and event brands, Carmens Group has already invested in outdoor tent infrastructure to accommodate summer and fall weddings on the picturesque grounds of the winery.

Under Senchuk’s leadership on the wine side, the winery produces an array of red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines. He uses his contacts in the wine industry to source top grapes from his favourite vineyards to round out an extensive portfolio of wines beyond the Cabernet Franc and Riesling grown at the estate.

I wanted to familiarize myself again with the wines made at Good Earth and Senchuk and Loney were only too happy to oblige. Over a delicious lunch prepared by Thorne, here is what I liked:

The Good Earth wines

The Good Earth Aria Sparkling Rosé 2022 ($35, 90 points) — This is a 100% Pinot Gris sparkling wine that’s made in the charmat method with lees aging for five months. There’s a fairly robust bubble in the glass with red berries, apples, biscuit notes and citrus. It’s bright and lifted on the palate with a melange of orchard fruits, red apples and berries with mouth-watering acidity keeping it lively through the finish.

The Good Earth Riesling 2022 ($25, 92 points) — The Riesling is 100% from the estate vineyard. It has an enticing nose of lime, fresh saline, green apples and subtle tropical notes. On the palate look for stony minerality, gushing lime/grapefruit, honeycomb, guava and ginger with a firm vein of acidity that balances out the sweetness on the vibrant finish.

The Good Earth Orange Wine Skin Fermented White 2023 ($27, 88 points) — This is Senchuk’s first “orange” wine that he’s made at Good Earth. The skin fermented Chardonnay Musqué is sourced from the Turnbury Vineyard in the Four Mile Creek sub-appellation and the grapes spent 20 days on the skins. Nothing crazy here, with a clean nose of peachy/ mandarin orange, ripe apples, floral notes and citrusy marmalade. It picks up a bit a bit of funk on the palate with earthy/savoury notes to go with pear, nectarine, peach pie and citrus zest through the bright finish.

The Good Earth Unoaked Chardonnay 2022 ($23, 92 points) — Stripped down to its bare bones, Chardonnay without out oak is a risky proposition but when you get it right, it can be this good. Senchuk applies 12 months of lees aging to bring some texture and complexity. The nose shows fresh apples, peaches, saline/crushed oyster shells minerality, pear skin and fresh-squeezed lemon. It’s perky and fresh on the palate with a subtly creamy texture, a touch of flint and then orchard fruits, tangy citrus and a vibrant, lifted finish. Quite Chablis-esque.

The Good Earth Chardonnay 2022 ($35, 93 points) — The fruit for the oaked version of the Chardonnay at Good Earth is mostly from the Grimsby Hillside Vineyard (Lincoln Lakeshore) 62% and the Hemeris Vineyard (Beamsville Bench) 38%. It spends 14 months in French oak, 20% new wood. The nose shows perfumed pear, yellow apples, peach, quince, bergamot and a pinch of spice. It has lovely texture and shows pure elegance on the palate with ripe orchard fruits, lemon tart, apricot and spice on a lifted, long finish. Beautiful Chardonnay that you can cellar through 2032.

The Good Earth Pinot Noir 2021 ($34, 93 points) — Senchuk sources this Pinot Noir from a single vineyard in the Four Mile Creek sub-appellation. It is aged in mostly older oak barrels for 15 months. Just a lovely nose of Morello cherries, black raspberries, beetroot, red currants, damp forest floor and wildflowers with just a hint of spice. It’s silky smooth on the palate with upfront ripe cherries, anise, cranberries, some savoury notes and a super long, lifted finish with just a touch of spice. Elegant Pinot Noir that can cellar through 2031.

The Good Earth Big Fork Red 2020 ($24, 89 points) — This “bistro” blend of 92% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot from the near-perfect vintage of 2020 is aged in mostly older oak barrels. It’s chock full of ripe red berries on the nose, with cassis and blackberries in a clean, fresh style that screams for one of those Good Earth burgers always on the menu. The palate delivers more of the same — ripe red and dark berries, a touch of earth, smooth texture and a bright finish. Nothing too complicated here, just a robust and juicy red ready to drink now.

The Good Earth Cabernet Franc 2021 ($38, 93 points) — This lovely Cabernet Franc from 100% estate fruit is aged in a combination of French and American oak, with 20% new oak, 20% one-year-old oak and the rest older barrels. It’s bottled unfiltered and unfined. Senchuk calls this “much more Loire style, I’ve never made a Franc like this.” The nose shows wild raspberries, macerated cherries, anise, earthy/savoury notes, minty herbs, dried tobacco and lifted spice and toasty vanilla bean notes. The texture is relatively smooth with some grippy tannins followed by earthy red berries, anise/licorice, cigar box cedar, cocoa, oak spices and a lifted, long finish. Lovely Cab Franc that can age nicely through 2035.

The Good Earth Merlot 2020 ($40, 94 points) — What a gorgeous Merlot that Senchuk has made from one of his favourite sources of fruit for both Good Earth and Leaning Post — the Hemeris Vineyard on the Beamsville Bench. This is bottled unfined and unfiltered after 22 months in oak (40% new oak) and a further 20 months of bottle age. The hot 2020 vintage was very kind to Merlot, and it shows in this bottling. What a beauty! The nose is profound with saturated dark berries, plums, black raspberries, red currants, summer strawberries and rich baking spices. It’s mouth-filling and highly structured with ripe tannins, a melange of pureed red berries, earthy/woodsy notes, graphite, cassis and high-octane spice notes on an echoing and long finish with mouth-watering acidity. This is a big Merlot for Niagara with the stuffing to cellar through 2035.