Award-winning Syrah in Niagara - Kacaba Winery

Kacaba Vineyard and Winery

Wine-lovers who meander down Highway 8 on the way to Niagara-on-the-lake are never disappointed. Several charming storybook vineyards, wineries, restaurants, and bakeries will simply take your breath away. One of these is Kacaba Vineyard & Winery in Vineland, creator of the award-winning Syrah in Niagara.

Just before you reach Highway 24 at Vineland, you’ll notice a series of gently sloped vineyards behind the Kacaba sign to the right. It’s worth turning up the driveway to discover what the winery has in store.

Owner Michael Kacaba founded Kacaba Vineyards & Winery in 1997. His mission is to produce award-winning premium wines in small quantities, at moderate prices.

Which region is perfect to grow award-winning Syrah in Niagara?

Syrah is a varietal grape that can produce complex red wines. When Syrah is grown in a cold climate like southern Ontario, it ripens slowly and develops more acid. This can result in a peppery, elegant Syrah wine, like Kacaba’s award-winning 2016 Reserve Syrah.
The vineyard isn’t located at the top of the Escarpment, but neither is it in the flatlands near the lake below. It’s literally in between these two rich climate regions of the Niagara Peninsula. Kacaba’s location allows it to benefit from both the minerality of the Escarpment region as well as the rich soil and warmth of the lake region. The Escarpment trees keep the warmth at the vine level. Milder winters also allow for red grapes to be harvested later than usual, which produces fuller, bolder wines.

Small lots of premium, fruit-driven wines produced by hand

Kacaba’s philosophy is to focus on making small lots of premium fruit-driven wines that are produced by hand. A small creek runs through the setting from the vineyard’s run-off. All three vineyards that surround the creek’s bridge have Syrah grapes that are blended to produce the Reserve Syrah.
Kacaba Vineyards & Winery was the first Ontario vineyard to plant Syrah varietals. Syrah fruit fills almost one-third of Kacaba’s vineyards.

The Decanter world wine awards

The 2016 Reserve Syrah won the bronze in the Decanter World Wine Awards (UK). Decanter.com defines its world wine awards as the world’s most influential and largest wine competition, judged by top international wine experts. Kacaba’s Reserve Syrah also won the silver in the Winealign National Wine Awards.

Kacaba’s 2016 Reserve Syrah is a rich, dry and intense premium red wine

This award-winning Syrah has a very long finish with an amazing aftertaste of rich, spicy blueberries and blackberries – with a touch of nutmeg. The taste is rich, deep and intense from start to finish. You aren’t just put on the edge of a forest, but placed somewhere very deep in the woods surrounded by fir trees and a collection of wild berry bushes.

Kacaba’s 2016 Syrah can be paired with lamb brisket and a mint garnish and served with roasted Greek potatoes prepared with lemon, garlic, and olive oil.

Soaked and double-barreled

For this Series, Kacaba winery soaked their Syrah grapes in colder water to remove their skins’ flavour before yeast was added. As you drink it, you may feel like you’re right inside of towering pine, spruce, and cedar trees. Kacaba’s 2016 Reserve Syrah is double barreled, aged 10 months and then 8 more months, both in oak barrels.

There is a lot of personality to this complex wine. Although the aroma is very light, the mineral undertones bring a depth that reflects the Kacaba vineyard location right near the bottom of the Escarpment.