At the young age of 18, Doug Mackenzie decided he was going to enrol in the winemaking program at Niagara College. Fast forward to present day and he’s the assistant winemaker at Rosewood Estates Winery. What’s more, the 2022 vintage will be his 7th harvest.
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“Anyone who has ever had the privilege to work a harvest can tell you there are 1,000 challenging things about making wine – and that’s in a good year. The biggest challenge is to be able to make a wine that properly showcases the region it’s from without the winemaker playing god. The wines I make are a reflection of the growing season and a representation of their vintage.”
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Dedication
Now, at age 26, Mackenzie is one of the youngest and most experienced winemakers in Ontario, Canada. At Rosewood Estates, Mackenzie says curiosity, passion and a diverse role keeps him satisfied in his career. Using wild or natural yeasts in his winemaking helps him to craft unique wines including mead. Mackenzie works in tandem with the head winemaker on creating eccentric wines made for the wine curious drinker.
“There is no better feeling than enjoying glass of your wine, while talking about how it was made. Within every glass of wine there is a story, and as a winemaker my favorite part is being the storyteller.”
A lover of all things local, Mackenzie is a massive foodie only rivalled by his love for the grapes. “Growing up, my mother’s family owned and operated a mushroom farm in the heart of Markham. Being on that farm I really got to understand the hard work and passion it takes to be a farmer. There is a strong sense of pride you get from the fruits of your labor when you farm”.
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Locavore
From grape to glass, Mackenzie makes wines that showcases the terroir of the region. “Our focus at Rosewood is to make truly honest wines with minimal intervention and zero additives. This approach has fully cemented my love for wine. The biggest thing for us as a winemaking team is that we need to ensure we’re growing the best and purest possible fruit. This means we spend all of our efforts during the growing season ensuring the health of fruit in the vineyard. Furthermore, every single berry that enters the winery is put through a sorting table before entering the tank, thus ensuring purity and quality.”
Day-to-Day
As an assistant winemaker, Mackenzie does more around the winery than people think. “There’s a lot that is asked of a winemaker who works at a smaller winery. your job doesn’t just mean making wine. I am also the in-house mechanic, 5 tonne truck driver, head cleaner, part time Bee-Keeper and full time snack food critic.”
When it comes to food and wine pairings Mackenzie mentions he loves to pair a Pinot Noir/Gamay blend with Doritos Bold BBQ . “The balance between the fresh acidity and the back heat from the Bold BBQ is a match made in heaven – I’m not kidding” he says.
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Bucket List
When I ask him about his bucket list trip he goes on to say that he wants to discover Canada. “I would love to do a coast to coast trip. I’d love to shuck oysters fresh out of the Ocean and pair them with excellent Nova Scotia sparkling. I’d also love to explore the truly one-of-a-kind wines coming out of Vancouver Island. This trip is already making my mouth water and is top of my list.”
