Ever since I first tasted the wines of Hidden Bench, I have had a great deal of admiration for the passion and determination of Vigneron Harald Thiel.

His zero compromise philosophy when striving to create the very best wines that his Beamsville Bench vineyards are capable of has led to his winery’s bottlings being recognised far and wide as top tier examples of just what can be achieved in this region.

Harald is also rather savvy when it comes to hiring the right people, bringing the South African-born Marlize Beyers onboard in 2010…

Last year, just before harvest, Good Food Revolution travelled out to Niagara to film an interview with Winemaker Marlize Beyers. We recorded a couple of segments between the vines in the glorious September sunshine. One of these pieces, the vintage report, made it onto our website. The second extended piece turned out never to be, as somewhere along the way the video files became unusable.

Fast forward to September of 2014 and thanks to an invitation to “Be A Winemaker For A Day” (a special event for licensees who carry Hidden Bench’s wines) courtesy of Harald Thiel and Good Food Fighter and Hidden Bench Agent, Le Sommelier, we had the golden opportunity to replicate almost the same conditions for another interview with Marlize.

Our heartfelt thanks to Marlize for running away from her pre-harvest duties for a few moments to spend time in the vineyard with Good Food Revolution (once again).

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Hidden Bench’s wines are available through Le Sommelier.

Le Sommelier is a Good Food Fighter. Please support the businesses and organizations that support Good Food Revolution.

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Jamie DrummondEdinburgh-born/Toronto-based Sommelier, consultant, writer, judge, and educator Jamie Drummond is the Director of Programs/Editor of Good Food Revolution… And that day at Hidden Bench was most memorable. That Coq au Vin was delicious.