When the conversation turns to high-quality wines from an estate vineyard that uses locally grown grapes — all done with an obsessive focus on quality — do your thoughts automatically turn to the tiny Niagara County town of Cambria? Yes they do, if you’ve been fortunate enough to sample the award-winning offerings of Arrowhead Spring Vineyards.
Founded in 2005, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards takes a great deal of pride in creating delicious food-friendly wine while being friendly to the environment. Located on the Niagara (USA) Wine Trail, the focus of this small but impressive winery is on quality fruits and wines. The discipline and “heart” put into the vineyard pours out in the wine, bottle by bottle and glass by glass.
A family winery, Arrowhead is owned and operated by Duncan and Robin Ross. “For more than 20 years prior to starting Arrowhead Spring Vineyards, I was an amateur winemaker,” said Duncan. “We often would visit wineries and dream of being in this business. There really is no other industry like it. There is much cooperation on our wine trail and all the winery owners are very passionate about wine, quality and style. Each winery is unique, making each visit unique. The variety of experience is amazing.”
“Having grown up on a farm I knew what I would be in for when it came to raising a crop like wine grapes,” added Duncan’s wife, Robin. “Farming is a lot of work and you are always at the mercy of Mother Nature. I worked for over 20 years in the software industry, first in engineering and later in sales engineering and professional services. The experience I gained has been very helpful in running a tasting room and managing our retail and wholesale business.”
Ideally located in the Niagara Escarpment American Viticultural Area (AVA) wine-growing region, Arrowhead’s vineyard is divided among the varietals of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. The Ross’ employ rigorous adherence to low-yield practices to increase fruit intensity. Meticulous sorting methods ensure that only the best fruit will make it into Arrowhead’s wines.
Arrowhead offers a wide variety of wines, including Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Ice Wine, Riesling, Port and Rose. Winter hours at the winery, located at 4746 Town Line Road (Route 93) in Cambria, are noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, or by appointment. During the warmer months, the winery also maintains a stand at the popular Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market in Buffalo's Elmwood Village. For more information, please call 434-8030, visit www.ArrowheadSpring.com or email info@arrowheadspring.com. You can also follow the winery on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/arrowheadspringvineyards for frequent updates.
