Renata and Eugene Roman purchased 40 acres of land in 2000, which is now home of Rosewood Estates Winery & Meadery. Their goal was to start a small-batch artisanal winery and meadery. This property is located on prime Beamsville Bench terroir. At Rosewood, 15 acres makes up the planted vineyard; approximately 2 acres is for the apiary and the rest is part of the beautiful forested area of the Niagara Escarpment.
The main Renaceau Vineyard, on Mountainview Rd has been planted with vinefera grapes starting in the year 2003. These grapes are: Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Semillon. Spring of 2008 will mark the first release of the 2006 wines to the public. These grapes produced 8 different VQA wines mostly single varietals and some blends. The first year production produced 1700 cases. The grapes are all hand picked at their peak and painstakingly caressed to bring out their optimum flavours. In the spring of 2007 another 40 acres of land was purchased in Jordan on the 20 Mile bench which is now under planting and redevelopment.
Natalie Spytkowsky, the winemaker, is a perfect fit for this artisanal winery. Her expertise, passion and meticulous attention to detail, blends well with the philosophy of the owners.
The Roman family has been beekeepers for 70 years. Eugene is a second generation Ontario beekeeper. His father gave him his first hive at the age of 6. Originally the family kept bees in King Township, Ontario. In the year 2000, the apiary operations were moved to Beamsville. The 3 apiaries are located throughout the Beamsville Bench. The honey gathered here is fruity and pleasant tasting.
The idea of producing honey wines or Meads has intrigued Eugene since high school. Eugene and Natalie have combined their skills of honey production and winemaking to develop innovative handcrafted honey wines. Many hours of dedicated work and blending techniques have proven fruitful. March 2008 marks the release of the 2006 meads. Harvest Gold is traditional style mead with a nose of almond and vanilla. Mon Cherie, is a specialty mead made from Niagara cherries blended with local honey. It is a rose style wine with nuances of cherry and chocolate. Natalie and Eugene have been developing ancient style mead ??Ambrosia? which will be released in the spring of 2009 after years of painstaking work and barrel aging.
