Austin Winery started out incredibly small-scale. just two stainless steel tanks and a half dozen barrels. with a young team that is self-funded and self-taught. No old, inherited vineyard or retirement bank account to reinvest. every ferment, harvest, and glass poured has taught them a lesson. every case sold goes straight back into production, straight back into making more wine. In 2013, they made 600 cases. In 2019, they made nearly 6,000.

As an urban winery, the only things they own are their tanks, barrels, and finished wine - no vines or vineyards. This allows them to work with a huge breadth and depth of fruit from all around the state. They've spent the last 7 years hunting for the best fruit and the best vineyards, never settling for anything less than excellence. Over the years, they've grown their list of exceptional farmers who they trust wholeheartedly to grow the best fruit they can, so they can make the best wine.

The winery operates on four fundamental operating principles:

Growing: They create partnerships with small, family-owned vineyards across the country by contracting fruit from their vineyards. They only work with vineyards with a holistic view of farming: non-exploitative, sustainable, and regenerative practices that benefits the entire ecosystem - not just the vines. From planting to harvest, they're in close contact with the growers and get their hands on fruit as often as possible.

Harvest: when harvest time rolls around, they hit the road. Varying on the final wine in mind, they receive whole-cluster (berries on rachis) or destemmed grapes. Grapes are often picked in the middle of the night and immediately transported in macrobins to them on refrigerated trucks, ensuring cool conditions and preserving fruit quality.

Craft: now it's winemaking time. Grapes are unloaded and the team gets their hands (and some times feet) dirty. All the winemaking happens in Austin, from fermentation to barrel-aging, bottling, and serving. No short-cut are taken - no added sugar or gimmicky techniques. They pride themselves on honest winemaking. Each wine is representative of its unique varietal character and growing conditions (the year, the vineyard, down to the row and the individual plant).

Drinkability: they develop wines with accessibility and approachability in mind.

As with all of our producers, we will be donating part of the proceeds from sales to a non-profit close to our heart. For The Austin Winery, we have chosen to donate to the Food Banks of Alberta. Please check them out.