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The Thirteenth Street Winery

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By Chris Willsher

The Thirteenth Street Winery, located in Jordan Station, was built on the strong bond of friendship and the love of great wine. This has proven to be a winning formula as the part-time winery has generated big-time results. The winery’s dedication to a hands-on approach throughout the process has led to numerous accolades and awards during its short, but thriving, existence.

The winery's four partners, Gunther Funk, Herb Jacobson, Irv Willms and Ken Douglas, carved out successful careers in a diverse range of fields. However, each had a strong passion for great wine and pursued the art of winemaking to varying degrees. In 1997, a decision was made to amass their talents and push their passion to the next level. By 1998, the Thirteenth Street Winery commenced operation as a part-time winery. All four partners maintained their full-time careers and conducted operations of Thirteenth Street on evenings and weekends, producing about 2,000 cases annually. Today, the partners still operate in this manner and are extremely pleased with the prosperity of the company to date.

Thirteenth Street follows many Old World principles in their pursuit of making great wine. The team manages the vineyards by hand through thinning, leaf stripping and hand hoeing. This gives the partners a better understanding of which crop will produce better results in the bottle. The fruit is hand-picked, with only about half being used in the end product to maintain the high standards the partners have set for their wines. The production and bottling process again is done by hand using modern basket presses and bottling machines. The care taken from beginning to end provides Thirteenth Street with greater control over the results that are poured from their bottles.

The driving principle behind Thirteenth Street was to produce great wine at a realistic price. And the partners have certainly achieved this goal. Many of their wines have received accolades from media and various award ceremonies. Most recently, the 2002 Sandstone Gamay Reserve and the 2002 G.H. Funk Meritage both won gold at the Ontario Wine Awards. And the 2002 G.H. Funk Cabs Merlot was a winner at the Canadian Wine Awards. Yet, with the exception of their Meritage blend, all of their wines are in the $15 to $25 per bottle range.

Adding to the recognition received from various media outlets is the fact that many top restaurants throughout Ontario carry Thirteenth Street wine. Establishments such as Rain, Starfish, Canoe and Jamie Kennedy Kitchens have all carried Thirteenth Street on their wine list. The Thirteenth Street web site (www.13thstreetwines.com) carries a complete list of restaurants that carry their wine if you’re interested in sampling their wares over a delicious meal. The fact that many high-end restaurateurs carry Thirteenth Street on their wine list is great recognition of the quality they produce.

While summer may be fading into fall, those who still appreciate a good Rosé outside the barbecue months, will want to check out Thirteenth Street’s Merlot Rosé. Described by Christopher Waters from Vines Magazine as “summer in a glass”, this Rosé provides the refreshing sweetness that many seek in this varietal. However, its full-bodied, off-dry nature can still capture the imagination of the more refined wine enthusiast.

Thirteenth Street Winery also makes a couple of award winning sparkling wines as well for those Gremolata readers looking to celebrate an occasion with something other than champagne.

Thirteenth Street’s partners view the operation as a labour of love and this is evident in the care and quality taken in producing their wines. They have also achieved some significant results in their seven years of operation. Due to the part-time nature of the operation, the wine shop is only open on weekends. However, if you stop in on a Saturday, you’ll likely have the added pleasure of chatting about Thirteenth Street’s wines directly with one of the four partners.