Perbacco what a place! And what wines! Villa Bacchus is a boutique small lot winery and Bed and Breakfast on the Niagara Escarpment in Beamsville wine country. Aptly named after the Roman God of wine and grapes, this place is absolutely heavenly.
The Experience
The arrival at this Italian style villa sets the tone for a serene and special experience. Although the Bed and Breakfast is currently closed due to the pandemic, the wine store is open by appointment, and you do not want to miss out on a tasting.
Venture towards the back of this grand villa with wrought iron balconies and you will be invited into a formal garden and large sheltered gazebo that overlooks the vineyard. If you are looking for Niagara wine country peace and bliss, make an appointment on a weekday to sit in the gazebo by the garden with a glass of wine and a good book. Chances are you may be the only one there.
The gazebo is also a wonderful place for a winery wedding. Can you just imagine the wedding photographs of the bride and groom wrapped in each other’s arms in the vineyard or in the stunning formal garden abloom with a range of beautiful florals. You might just feel like you are in the heart of Tuscany.
Flanking one side of the villa’s expansive surroundings is a building that houses the wine storage area. The large stainless steel settling tanks occupy one portion of the building, while an Olympic size tennis court occupies another portion. Why tennis at a winery? Because the owner’s two passions of wine and tennis mix well in this environment. How fitting then to find a tennis ball in the vineyard beside these beautiful old vines.
The Wines
Villa Bacchus Winery makes their red wines in the Appassimento style. This is a traditional Italian style of winemaking where the grapes are dried prior to fermentation immediately after harvesting. This concentration technique allows for more complexities in the flavour profile of wines and is used for both sweet and dry wines. Appassimento produces bolder, richer wines, the reward for this time intensive practice. If your palate is familiar with Amarone and Valpolicella Ripasso, you’ll know what the Appassimento process can do for wine.
The 2017 Commisso at Villa Bacchus Rosso Grosso is a rich, full-bodied red with definite influences from the Appassimento process. Aromas of dark fruit and dried cherries with a hint of honey present itself in this dry wine with well integrated tannins. The smooth rich finish is a testament to the winemaker’s skill in timing and precision. This VQA is 60% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot.
Under the Commisso label the wines are made exclusively from estate grapes. Vineyards behind the villa on the escarpment and one 25 acre estate at the bottom of the escarpment in Vineland supply several well known varietals.
The 2016 Commisso at Villa Bacchus Chardonnay is a fresh wine with aromas of green apple and citrus. 2016 was a good year for wine in Niagara. According to VQA Ontario, “2016 provided close to perfect conditions for wine grapes…this growing season and the dry and pleasant harvest season meant most grapes were picked in pristine conditions.”
And this Niagara unoaked Chardonnay proves it. Light and refreshing with hints of pineapple on the palate, it is a dry medium-bodied wine that offers a lavish response with rays of light and sunshine. Currently on sale for just $14.95 it doesn’t get more sunshiny than that.
The Details
| Address: 564 Kemp Road E. Beamsville, Niagara | ||
| Established: 2008 | ||
| Owner: Frank Commisso | ||
| Varietals: Pinot Noir, Pino Grigio, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Chardonnay, Riesling, Syrah, Merlot | ||
| Estate: 32 Acres in Beamsville and Vineland. Sub-Appellation of Lincoln Lakeshore | ||
| Winemaker: Andrzej Lipinski | ||
| Price Point: $15 to $65 |
Villa Bacchus was generous enough to send me four wines to try. I haven’t yet tried the Commisso Pinot Noir or Rosso, so if you’d like to hear more about those in the coming weeks, follow me on Instagram.
Villa Bacchus Winery planted the first vineyard in 2008 and is developing a reputation for premium quality table wines. With new equipment arriving from Italy and plans to build another building for wine processing and storage, the winery intends to grow and become a prominent name in the Niagara winery landscape, while still maintaining quality and delivering expertly made VQA wines to its loyal customers. And you will become one if you go for a tasting and experience Italy in Niagara for yourself.
To book your wine tasting: https://villabacchus.square.site/
To shop Commisso by Villa Bacchus wines: https://villabacchus.square.site/s/shop
Life with Alegria 
Hi, I have just “stumbled” across your blog …. again ………. as I was searching for posts related to Bacchus, the grape, which I am a big fan of, as well as Bacchus paintings etc similar to Danell’s interest. I have been under the impression that I was following you, but hadn’t seen any posts for a while. WordPress has been acting very strangely for me lately, so I am pressing your Follow button again.
This was a delightful and informative post, though I scrambled down through your wine listings naively seeking a wine made from the Bacchus grape 😂. It has become the common grape in England now as our vine planting and wine industry expands rapidly beyond our great sparkling wines made with the usual champagne trio of grapes. It is very similar to Sauvignon Blanc in every feature and there have been several award winners on the global stage, Winbirri Vineyard in Norfolk being the most famous.
Your post was a reminder of how much we have missed visiting vineyards around Europe for the last 18 months though we are now really motivated to visit some of our own vineyards in England, many of which we have purchased wines from via the internet. So, a question have you ever tasted a Bacchus wine?
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Hi Dr. B. thank you for the follow and for reading my posts! It’s funny how when it comes to wine, England is not top of mind for most people and that is similar to Canada, though we make some fabulous wines, here in Niagara, Ontario as well as on the west coast.
The Bacchus grape is new to me and I have never tried it. In my past readings about this varietal I remember it originating in Germany. Is that correct?
I am not sure we’d find it here, but now that you’ve mentioned it I’m going to have to look. You’ve piqued my interest.
Do you have many wineries in your area of the UK? And I’m curious, why the move to this specific varietal in England. I’m sure climate is a huge consideration, but is there a big demand for it?
Thanks again for connecting here Dr. B. Look forward to our future conversations.
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Hi, yes Bacchus originates from Germany, so Northern European climate suits it. Our main areas for English wine are in the south of England, especially the counties of Kent and Sussex, but also further east into Essex and Norfolk. Easy to find on Google maps if you know the counties. We live in Gloucestershire, a small village called Lechlade on the River Thames. Three main vineyards in the county, Woodchester, Three Choirs, and Poulton Estate. Poulton is just 7 miles away from us, I know the folks there well and often write about their wines. Here’s the last one I did: https://buddhawalksintoawinebar.blog/2021/01/20/wines-of-england-2-poulton-hill-arlington-red/
I think there are 200 vineyards in England now, but it’s definitely quality and sustainability over quantity. Our sparklers are well known now especially since Nyetimber beat all the Champagnes to gold about 10 years ago! Our best known and high quality wines are from Winbirri, Gusbourne, Stopham and Chapel Down if you want to find them on maps and the net. They are now producing really stunning Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. Bacchus is the staple white along with reds from Dornfelder and Rondo. And ….. have you heard of Cherie Spriggs? Winemaker at Nyetimber and …… from?
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Lots of great info. You are a pro obviously. I don’t know a lot about English wines, but I’m excited to learn more. Thank you for sharing the link. I will give it a read. Not familiar with Cherie Spriggs. Thanks again, Shelley
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Cherie Spriggs is Canadian! Won best winemaker in the world award 2018
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Yes, I read that she is from BC which is almost as far from here are the Uk is. She has made a huge name for herself in UK winemaking I see.
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Just found two wines from Canada, Westcott, Chardonnay 2016 and Pinot Noir 2016 both at £21 in a wine merchant just 12 miles away. That’s cheaper than the price direct from the vineyard? Do you know them?
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Yes! That’s fantastic. They are in Jordan, a small town here in the Niagara Region. Their Chardonnay I know is very good. I’ll have to look into their pricing though. Often we are paying higher prices at the winery due to a ridiculous tax structure imposed on the wineries here, so I’m not surprised you actually paid less. I think you’ll enjoy it very much. Let me know your thoughts when you try it.
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Not bought them yet, I’ve been searching the web to see what I could find. Nothing at The Wine Society which really surprised me
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Let me know what you come up with it. Some of our Niagara wineries make fantastic wines.
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Very informative post! I don’t know much about wine in Niagara so I enjoyed reading this. (And I have a slight obsession with Bacchus, especially paintings of him).
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Thanks very much! I do post a fair bit about Niagara wines and wineries, so thank you for the follow and hope you enjoy the content. I’ll be learning further from you too.
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