Kelly Mason: an icon in the making

Credit: Mason Vineyard

The wine industry is incredibly incestuous, yet it never ceases to amaze me how interconnected we all are.

I moved to Toronto in 2019, and was lucky enough to become friends with the proprietors of winery, The Farm. It was apparent early on that these wines held a certain level of prestige among those in the know.

The Farm produces some of the best pinot noir and chardonnay in not only Ontario, but Canada. Never mind that their marketing is pure genius: they only open their cellar doors once a year, and when they do, they throw a killer party. So many wineries rely on pomp and circumstance as a cornerstone of their identity when wine quality lacks, yet this has never been the case for The Farm.

How they achieved their quality (and clout) was through strategic hiring of the best: Thomas Bachelder and Kelly Mason.

If there were a recipe on how to become an icon; Kelly Mason (and Thomas Bachelder) would be it.

Kelly entered the winemaking trade later in life, a common path taken by many whose proto careers no longer serve them. Working in finance for the bulk of her 20's and saving aggressively, Kelly knew that someday she wanted to acquire land.

Working under the tutelage of Thomas Bachelder for nearly a decade equipped her with the skillset to eventually branch out on her own, consulting and making wine for Domaine Queylus, Honsberger, and most recently, her own label, Mason Vineyard.

Purity is a term thrown around in wine often, though it doesn't hold much weight - what does it really mean?

All you need to do is taste Kelly's wines to understand. Her approach is very much old world - her involvement in the process borders on obsessive, so much so that she single handedly acquired 25 acres of her own land so she could manage the process from start to finish. Purchasing 25 acres in Niagara is an impressive feat - especially when you do it alone. And no, I'm not going to make some rah-rah comment about the fact that she's a woman - that would be way too infantilizing of a dig on Kelly's intelligence.

I had the opportunity to visit Kelly when I was last in Niagara, where we chatted and tasted at her gorgeous home overlooking t he Mason vineyard.

Can you share the storied tale of how you acquired your land? This is mostly to debunk all the naysayers who wrongfully assume or accuse you of coming from money. What you have achieved is seriously inspiring and more need to know how you did it, if only to aspire to the same levels of greatness.

I am building my business the way that makes the most sense for me. I was lucky enough to purchase a small parcel of land on the Bench, and then even luckier to acquire the second neighbouring piece shortly thereafter. I wish my family were in farming, as that would have been so helpful in terms of my learning curve, so I am figuring it out with help from a lot of local farming friends and their families.

Can you talk about your collaborations? Why are they so important, and what community means to you?

Collaborating is important to me because it allows two winemakers to work together to share ideas and learn from each other. It gives me a chance to try something I may not have otherwise tried and also work with different types of grapes and sites. It's a fun creative process that is not necessarily scheduled and can evolve as needed - it's the freedom to create and stay connected to the artistic side of winemaking. These wines bring together different brains - winemakers, growers, interns, sommeliers, friends, and families. That alone creates a collaborative community around wine.

How do you define natural/low intervention winemaking?

Work hard in the vineyard, harder in the cellar (temperature control, tasting, extraction) and let the wine make itself as much as possible. In brief, only add the bare minimum and let primary and secondary fermentations be wild.

Who are your greatest inspirations?

I would miss someone if I answered this question with names. I am always inspired by people who have built a business or even improved an established one. When I see a tractor in a vineyard or the lights of a combine moving across a field, I see hard work, hours on that seat, and determination in that field. So I keep my head down and go forward. They inspire me to keep going.

Why Niagara?

It's such a beautiful area of Ontario that has great soils and slopes for vineyards. It's still establishing itself nationally and globally and there are new wineries popping up every year - that's exciting. It is always fun to contribute to an industry that is still growing and carving out its place.

Purchase Kelly’s curated pack for Crushable members here.