Stratus vineyards, opened in 2005, has quickly become one of the benchmarks for quality within the flourishing Canadian wine industry.

The winery is located in the charming and historic town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, within the Niagara Peninsula wine country. The vineyards benefit from a unique microclimate that ranks among the warmest in Niagara, providing perfect conditions for growing the diverse range of grape varieties that are used in their signature cuvees.

Committed to sustainability, Stratus has an LEED-certified facility that produces the best possible wine with the smallest possible environmental impact. They have made the choice of getting rid of pumps, and instead the wine is transported completely through gravity flow, minimising their carbon footprint and maximizing quality.

This dedication to sustainability continues in the vineyards, where they allow the environment’s natural ecosystem to take hold. Indigenous cover crops are encouraged and vine cuttings and root stocks are transformed into biochar, reducing erosion and improving soil structure.

These modern and innovative methods are the work of winemaker J-L Groux. A native of France’s Loire Valley, J-L is renowned for creating distinctive wines based on the principle of assemblage, the art of combining different grape varieties to produce a wine that is the most complex expression of a vineyard’s terroir. He creates a range of outstanding, age-worthy wines, including an ice wine.