The Winery That Passion Built
At Karlo, our mission is to provide the ultimate wine country experience. You can’t have that without outstanding wines. So, we work under the direction of our Executive Winemaker Derek Barnett and Winemaker Spencer Mayer to craft gold medal wines. In 2021, we earned 23 gold medal scores for our wine. At the same time, we believe in sustainability. We produced the first certified vegan wine in the world, thus reducing our carbon impact. Proving that you can be respectful of the planet while producing spectacular wines, we were twice named on the “Top Ten Cutting Edge Wines of the World” list and on WineAlign’s “Best of the Best of Ontario” list. Most recently, Karlo Estates was honoured with VineRoute’s “Top 20 Wineries of Ontario” listing as well as named on their “Top Ten Wines of Ontario” list.
We offer wines in both single varietal bottlings and classic blends. Our wines are made in the Old World style using traditional methods and an artisanal approach for natural wine making. Everything is hand-harvested, with extensive natural ferments and minimal intervention. We allow our fruit to hang on the vine longer and use long, cold, maceration soaks for fuller-body. Although riskier and more labour-intensive, close attention ensures more depth and diverse and interesting wines. We work to craft food-friendly, well-balanced wines that show off all the complexity of our coveted Hillier limestone clay loam terroir in the southwestern part of Prince Edward County.
An optimal location with ideal glacial-deposited, high pH, 400-million-year-old limestone soil provides minerality and complexity. The cooler climate allows for a vibrant and appetizing acidity, structure and a freshness to the wine. Karlo is close enough to Lake Ontario to extend the fall season, allowing our fruit to grow to complete maturity. In the end, growing the best grape gives us the foundation on which to build exceptional wines with character.