Our Story
Winemaker
During her studies in the Oenology and Viticulture program at Brock University, Emma Garner travelled to Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany and British Columbia. Her passion for wine and food grew with each trip. After working in vineyards and cellars in the Niagara region, Emma began working at Hillebrand Winery, where she made wine in various capacities until 2005 when she began working for Thirty Bench Wine Makers. In 2010 she garnered the desirable Thirty Bench winemaker position. Emma believes in allowing the vineyard to express itself by making wine with minimal intervention. She loves working with Rieslings and ferments them at low temperatures to retain as many aromatic compounds as possible resulting in wines bursting with complexity and intensity.
Emma is away on a maternity leave until July, 2013. Winemaker, Mary McDermott has filled her position until then.
Mary McDermott worked for many years as a sommelier in the hospitality industry and always had the desire to make the wine she was enjoying. After many years of travelling to the wine regions of the world she discovered the Oenology and Viticulture program at Brock University. She attended Brock for four years and earned a BSc. She continued the learning process while working in the vineyard at the Vineland Research Institute and then at Stratus Winery and Cave Spring Winery. She continues her journey in the vineyards and winery at Thirty Bench.
