Winemaking Team

Critical to our winery's success was the decision to lure Carlo Negri in 1980 away from one of the more reputable wineries in Italy where he had honed his craft as Master Winemaker. His raw abilities and traditional training were augmented by a passion that has driven both he and us for over a quarter of a century as is evident in our hundreds of awards in global competitions.

For his part, Carlo Negri was awarded the Ontario Wine Awards 2005 " WINEMAKER OF THE YEAR" and, in the same year won the " TONY ASPLER CUVEE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE" for his commitment and passion.

Early in the new millenium, we added two new members to Carlo's winemaking team. Kevin Donohue had a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology and was also a respected graduate of Brock's Cool Climate Oenological and Viticultural Institute. When he joined us in 2002 as Vineyard Manager, his wealth of knowledge in viticulture and his experience in best vineyard practices quickly made him an invaluable resource as a member of our winemaking team.

In 2003, Tim Reilly began his winemaking career at Colio Estate Wines apprenticing under the guiding hand of Carlo Negri. Tim was a highly-touted graduate of Niagara College Teaching Winery under the venerable Jim Warren. He brought his own unique skillset and contemporary winemaking knowledge to our team.

Today, Carlo, Tim and Kevin preside over the 200 acres of prime vineyards at Colchester, Ontario and the newly acquired 21 acres in the Niagara-on-the-Lake.