Who We Are
Roger Vail was born and raised in the Vineland/Jordan area in the Niagara Peninsula on a mixed fruit farm operation. After several unrelated employment involvements away from agriculture, the desire to again get back to basics, with his hands in the dirt, surfaced and so his career path was altered. In the ensuing years, through several mentors, he cultivated his passion for viticulture while constantly honing his skills.
In 1983, Roger along with his wife Diane, established VAILMONT VINEYARDS on a 10 acre parcel of undeveloped land and has since expanded the operation to a multi location and custom care operation utilizing innovative designs for leasing, shared risk management (SRM) and custom care. In 1993, Roger was honoured by his peers and the Grape Growers of Ontario as having the best vineyards in Ontario and as such was given the title of “Grape King”.
The company was built as a family-run operation and with the families’ involvement they remain focused on providing their clients, whether growers or wineries with the best service they can. Their philosophy has and will continue to be that all the vineyards they care for are treated as their own, therefore striving to provide the best quality, cost effective end product which is paramount to success. This is what they call “The Growers Edge”.
In 2005 the decision to again expand the operation was undertaken as they became a corporation and as such Roger and Diane are now operating as VAILMONT VINEYARDS LTD. for potential future expansion. As they multi operate the plan for the future, their goal is to manage growth to its’ full potential and let their experience direct it to the next level.
What We Do
The first thing to remember is that, we at Vailmont Vineyards Ltd are growers first and foremost! We have developed our philosophy around providing superior quality grapes for all styles of wine, while respecting the planet we live on and enhancing our moves to ensure that our children and grandchildren will be able to live and breathe good clean air and drink fresh clean water!
This industry as a whole is a very serious operation, one which must be cost competitive with every region around the world, who can supply cheaper products into our back door and as such we need to determine if and what we can produce here to remain in business for the future. As a company we are also proudly Canadian and will fly the flag whenever possible, however we also understand economics and as such we will supply grapes of high quality to be blended with wine from another world source thus allowing the consumer more choice and value driven products.
We as a company take raw open land, establish it into new vineyards of suitable varieties for specific regions and wine styles both for ourselves, corporations and individuals who have a vision and need a willing team player. This growth sometimes takes the route of redevelopment of existing vineyards which may need some extra special touches to bring out the best of what is already there or to remove and replant with better suited varieties. This process takes time and patience and sometimes the best laid plans can be derailed by Mother Nature resulting in new visions needing to be put into the works.
In all operations the planning process is critical, from the initial land development to the final utilization of the harvesting of the crops. Are we to contract the crop to one of our numerous contacts or is there a plan in place to enter the industry with own products? These answers need to be addressed prior to planting as well as the marketing ideas need to be discussed well in advance of the first vines going in the ground.
Our motto is “THE GROWERS EDGE” and we feel that by looking first at how to develop, grow and nurture the vines using ethical approaches we can then enter the second phase of quality for superior wine production either in house or by sale of crop to outside purchasers. The long term goals of almost all new vineyard operations is to do all phases in house, both from the working of the land, to the making and selling of the finished product. This vision is very courageous and soon most find out that not all aspects can be handled without adjusting the plan, and this is where we at Vailmont Vineyards Ltd and Iroquois Shores Viticultural Services enter, to put in place the pieces of the puzzle with our experience, equipment and contacts.
Whether one has small wishes for improvements or grandiose plans for new plantings in areas not yet developed or known for its wine designs, we can and will help with consultations and putting your wishes into play. Supplying locally or through imports for your vineyards we can and will help you achieve your vision.
