Leaning Post is Ilya and Nadia Senchuk's own label, built after years of Ilya making wine for other people in Niagara.
The fruit comes from a handful of specific vineyards across the peninsula, and the winemaking stays out of the way as much as it can. Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah are the focus.
Ilya and Nadia Senchuk started Leaning Post in 2009 without a vineyard to their name, buying grapes and making tiny lots wherever they could. Two years later they bought an 11-acre property in Winona, at the cool western edge of Niagara.
The name comes from a leaning fence post on that land. The winery took shape in a restored barn from the 1850s.
Small lots, cool-climate reds
Ilya Senchuk makes wine with a light hand, focused on single vineyards and cool-climate character. The estate grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and the Syrah comes from a nearby grower.
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Syrah make up most of the range, with a line called The Fifty among the regulars. It is farmed to Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario standards.
Frequently asked questions
What is Leaning Post known for?
Leaning Post is a small Niagara winery known for cool-climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah. It works in small, single-vineyard lots out of a restored 1850s barn in Winona, at the western end of the peninsula.
Where does the name come from?
From a leaning fence post on the Winona property the Senchuks bought in 2011. The winery started two years earlier with no land at all, buying grapes until they could put down roots of their own.
Where is Leaning Post?
In Winona, near Stoney Creek, at the cool far-western end of the Niagara Peninsula, in the Lincoln Lakeshore area. That cooler ground suits the winery's focus on Pinot Noir and Syrah.
