Winemaking at Featherstone
Winemaking and grape growing are both scientific and intuitive processes. Featherstone wines reflect the special character of the grapes, as well as the artistry of the winemaker, and are pointedly food-oriented, rich, clean and brisk.
As both vineyard manager and winemaker, David Johnson is able to work throughout the growing season to enhance the grapes’ natural attributes, ensuring that at harvest he can create exceptional wine with minimal winemaking embellishments.
The vineyard will only yield enough grapes to produce limited amounts of small- lot wines. It is not our goal to buy more vineyard or to expand our production beyond our current level of hands-on, artisanal wine production.
Featherstone was one of the first wineries to use Canadian oak barrels, producing an exceptional barrel-fermented Canadian Oak Chardonnay in 2002. Until recently, oak from Canada had not been considered for winemaking. The integration of our wine with oak grown in the same climate and region is an exciting concept. Encouraged by early successes, Canadian oak barrels at Featherstone continue to play an expanding role.
Always looking for new wine experiences and to expand his knowledge, Featherstone winemaker David Johnson gained international experience in 2007 participating in the harvest at Sileni Winery in Hawkes Bay New Zealand, and in 2016 at Waterkloof Winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Senior Winemaker: David Johnson
Featherstone was one of the first wineries to use Canadian oak barrels, producing an exceptional barrel-fermented Canadian Oak Chardonnay in 2002. Until recently, oak from Canada had not been considered for winemaking. The integration of our wine with oak grown in the same climate and region is an exciting concept. Encouraged by early successes, Canadian oak barrels at Featherstone continue to play an expanding role.
Always looking for new wine experiences and to expand his knowledge, Featherstone winemaker David Johnson gained international experience in 2007 participating in the harvest at Sileni Winery in Hawkes Bay New Zealand, and in 2016 at Waterkloof Winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
The Other Winemaker: Kevin Qin
Kevin is the winemaker who gets his hand the dirtiest at harvest and he’s also the vineyard manager. Since 2016, Kevin has held a growing variety of winery and vineyard responsibilities at Featherstone… heck, he even gets to feed the sheep in the summer. It’s all in day’s work at the grape ranch.
Kevin is a graduate of the Niagara College Winery and Viticulture program and his diverse background provides him with the experience and expertise to craft Featherstone’s fine wines year after year.