Born in Abu Dhabi, Cubby Sadoon is a medical scientist by trade. But by passion, he’s a certified sommelier, tequila enthusiast, sports fanatic, music lover and reader of peer-reviewed journals.
A talented cellar master at Ferox Winery, Sadoon produces certified sustainable and award-winning wines in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. Clever, conscious, cerebral and creative, he is excited about the future of Ontario wine. I had the opportunity to speak to Sadoon to talk about his unique journey.
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Origin Story
After completing a medical science degree at Brock University, Sadoon quickly realized that science lacked the creative and artistic outlet he truly craved in a career. So Sadoon took a cellar job at Inniskillin Winery where he credits his passion was ignited for wine. During his undergraduate studies Sadoon discovered the Wine Spirits & Education Trust, as well as the International Sommeliers Guild. He promptly signed up for both programs, becoming a certified sommelier and diploma student.
After his tenure at Inniskillin, Sadoon jumped between wineries to apprentice and learned skills working at several notable wineries. That is when he then joined the team at Ferox in 2020.
“The MCAT taught me one important lesson, emphasize critical thinking over memorization”.
Cubby Sadoon
Ferox Winery
On November 16th, 2015, Fabian and Stephanie Reis, owners of Ferox, hand harvested Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes for their first wine. Only three barrels of wine were made. In 2018 Fabian and Stephanie purchased the Vignoble Rancourt Winery planted in the heart of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Canada.
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In 2021, Ferox Winery received the Ontario Viticulture Sustainability Certification, Sustainably certifying the vineyards on the property. “As a certified sustainable vineyard and winery, the pillars of economics, environment and community are paramount. The entire winemaking team believes good wine begins in the vineyard.” says Sadoon.
“Given we’re such a young industry, I think we’ve found what makes us inherently Niagara over the last decade or two.” says Sadoon
It is no easy task being a cellar master. Luckily his experience in medicine has helped him along the way. “My day-to-day usually involves running lab work on all our wines to monitor health [free sulphur, microbial status etc.]. I also maintain our barrel program which includes tasting wine and topping up barrels. A behind-the-scenes fact about winemaking – it’s usually 80% cleaning, and 20% production.”
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Passion
So what does a cellar master do in their spare time? “I’m a big tequila guy” he says. “Añejo examples by Tromba and Casamigos are my go-to at home sippers.” On his days off he and his partner Katie enjoy tasting at local wineries, breweries and distilleries. He considers it his duty to taste and learn about the local juice.
Follow Cubby Sadoon on Instagram here
Learn more about Ferox Wines here
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Feature image credit Ferox Winery
