Within the emerging wine region of Huron Shores you’ll find Schatz Winery in Zurich, Ontario. Schatz (pronounced “shots”) means “treasure” in German, a tribute to founders Christa and Ernst who made the leap from Germany to the coastal Huron shores in 1984 to begin their dream of owning the Hessenland Inn. The Inn planted its first vines in 2015 and released the Schatz winery’s premier vintage in 2020. Both Inn and winery still remain in the Ihrig family today, creating a hospitable oasis consisting of cool-climate wines made with vitis vinifera and hybrid grapes.

The team at the winery consists of Frank Ihrig - General Manager and Co-Owner, Brandon Chaffe - Sales/Cellar, and Winemaker Derek Barnett, who’s known amongst the Ontario wine industry for his innovative and creative winemaking techniques.

The wines of Shatz winery certainly display an exciting looking glass in to the unique terroir for the emerging Huron County region. A standout, top-tier wine is their Cote Froide Chardonnay. Pioneering a “sub-appellation” title for the region, “Cote Froide” has specific requirements to be labelled as such. The criteria are:

• Fruit comes from a min. 3 vineyards in Huron County

• Fruit must be 100% grown within Huron County borders

• No oak aging for whites, and oak program for reds must contain Huron County oak

The result of the Schatz Cote Froide Chardonnay is more reminiscent of Nova Scotia’s Tidal Bay rather than any other wine style found here in Ontario. With it’s fresh, zippy, food-friendly style, including the electric acidity and blaring mineral drive, it would be no surprise if this region-specific wine style became the province’s next cult wines.