By Rick VanSickle
Some Niagara wine stories are scripted right down to the final detail, but this one is 100% Unscripted, a narrative that’s just now being written.
For Unscripted wine brand owner Michael Pohorly, his incredible story begins in a Niagara-on-the-Lake garage. “One of my earliest memories is of my uncle, Joseph Pohorly, showing me his wine barrels in his garage, which was the start of his first winery (Newark Winery, then Hillebrand), now Trius,” Pohorly tells Wines in Niagara. “He became the first to commercially produce icewine in Ontario. My father, Frank, was also an early experimenter in grape varieties, and one of the few to grow viniferas in Canada in the early 1970s.”
Joseph Pohorly, above, was one of the first winery owners in Niagara. He founded Newark Winery in Virgil in 1979, one of the three original cottage wineries that opened in Niagara in the 1970s and laid the foundation for the growth of the new Ontario wine industry. Sadly, he passed away in 2020 at the age of 88.
Joseph Pohorly was a legend in the Niagara Wine Industry, founding Newark Wines in 1979, which became Hillebrand Estate Wines in 1983. After selling Hillebrand to the Peller family he went into partnership to start the Colonel Butler Inn which he ran for 10 years and then sold it to go back to his real passion of winemaking and founded Joseph Estates Wines in 1996, also on Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and still operating.
When looking to create a wine brand, Michael Pohorly (below), a noted Canadian film and television director, “was originally trying to do a side brand together with my Uncle Joe back in the early 2000s, and then later with my brother Steve — when myself and my family were all running the Fruit Shack Market on the original home farm of my grandfather’s where Joe started Newark,” he told Wines in Niagara.
“I would spend a lot of time with Joe over the years, and he definitely had his own ideas on wine, which maybe didn’t really align with my own — and my brother, well, he simply loves the farming aspect of growing grapes, and wants to continue with the same work that we started doing as early as five years old on our parents’ home farm next to Inniskillin, and he takes great pride and care in that,” Pohorly said. “Our Merlot vineyard was named vineyard of the year at Cuvée earlier this year.”
Pohorly decided to reach out to an old friend and respected Niagara winemaker, the long-time head of winemaking at Jackson-Triggs and now chief strategy officer at the Niagara Custom Crush Studio, Marco Piccoli, who he has known since 2004. His first two wines made by Piccoli under the Unscripted label, a Sauvignon Blanc and a red blend, were recently released at The Crush.
Pohorly currently lives on the west coast, where Vancouver continues to be a hotbed for the film industry. He makes frequent trips back to his childhood home of Niagara, where he often connects with friends who work at various wineries.
Pohorly’s film and TV credits are substantial and include the movies The Grey and The Incredible Hulk, TV series such as DC: Legends of Tomorrow, Prison Break and Reacher, and his supervisory role in producing the in-game entertainment for the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.
He’s not the first film industry professional to combine winemaking with Hollywood. Locally, Martin Malivoire spent 33 years in the film industry before retiring to winery life on the Beamsville Bench with his successful Malivoire Wine Company. He was involved in co-ordinating special effects for films ranging from Resident Evil and Hairspray to the Blues Brothers, and Fly Away Home.
And then there’s Sir Ridley Scott’s Mas des Infermières in Luberon, Provence, a winery he acquired in 1992. The director of Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator and American Gangster may be known for creating blockbusters packed with grand battles and bloody violence, but his other great passion for wine seems a world away.
There are others. Francis Ford Coppola (above), a filmmaker whose credits include The Godfather Trilogy, Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, The Outsiders, The Rainmaker and more, owns his namesake Francis Ford Coppola Winery, with brands that range from prestigious labels like Archimedes and Eleanor to his Director’s Cut series and Inglenook brands, is one of the industry’s dominant players in Napa Valley. There are others with a connection to wine, such as Orson Welles and director Alexander Payne (Sideways comes to mind).
You might ask, what is the link between making movies and wine? As Pohorly told me in a wide-ranging Q&A below: “Our goal is to build a brand that continues to surprise and delight, much like the most memorable moments in life … and cinema.” And, let’s face it, unlike the other directors above, wine is big part of Pohorly’s DNA; he comes to it from a rich history in winemaking and farming through his family connections.
I sat down to taste the two wines now available at The Crush in Vineland (you can buy them there or online here with Piccoli, who made the first two wines, and newly hired head of business development at The Crush, Paul Henderson.
Note: You can also taste the two wines at The Crush Holiday Open House on Dec. 14 from 1-5 p.m. Unscripted is one of 11 brands being poured at this event, including: 2027 Cellars, Rennie Estate Winery, Stoney Ridge, The Long Way Home, Inferno Stallion, Studio Gamay, Nedelko Icewine, Therianthropy, Paradise Grapevine and 13 Kings Winery. For tickets, go here.
“The dream is to create a brand that is provocative,” said Piccoli (above), “something that hasn’t been scripted yet.” The two wines that are now released are just the beginning for this ambitious brand. Piccoli said Pohorly wants to “take icewine where it once was” and will be adding that to the portfolio along with other wines as the brand grows.
“It’s been amazing to know Marco over the years, and finally try something together with him,” said Pohorly. “And then Paul has come aboard to help us expand the brand.”
Our two reviews for the debut wines follow this Q&A between Wines in Niagara and Pohorly.
Questions and answers with Michael Pohorly
Wines in Niagara: You are not the first person from the film and TV industry to get into wine. Francis Ford Coppola comes to mind, even Martin Malivoire, more locally. I know you have a rich history with wine in Niagara. Can you make the link, what drove you to starting your own brand, between your career and Unscripted wines?
Michael Pohorly: Making a link between wine and movies certainly sounds romantic, and perhaps there is one, but my story begins a bit differently. I grew up on a family farm in Niagara, working in the peach orchards, strawberry fields, and vineyards. There’s a feeling that life begins and ends right there, and that’s all there is. All those summers on the farm did leave plenty of time to dream though of travelling the world, meeting people from all walks of life, and of course, making movies.
Starting a wine brand felt like a natural way to return to my roots after years working in the film industry and I’m fortunate to have partnered with the talented winemaker Marco Piccoli to launch Unscripted.
Wine and film do share, of course, much in common: passion, collaboration, hard work, and the pursuit of excellence. There’s also a more esoteric side to each craft, where artistry, personal taste, and the struggle of creating what emotionally resonates can all come together to produce something truly unique. When it happens, it’s magic.
WIN: I’m told that you have icewine on your mind for a future addition to the portfolio. Your uncle, of course, was a pioneer in Niagara with icewine. Can you talk about why icewine would be such a good fit for Unscripted wines and a little about what you remember from your uncle and making icewine?
Pohorly: Icewine holds a special place in both Niagara’s story and mine. One of my earliest memories is of my uncle, Joseph Pohorly (above), showing me his wine barrels in his garage, which was the start of his first winery, now Trius. He became the first to commercially produce icewine in Ontario. My father, Frank, was also an early experimenter in grape varieties, and one of the few to grow viniferas in Canada in the early 1970s.
For the icewine harvest, as a family, there was always a unique excitement each January (with harvests sometimes falling on New Year’s Eve.) We were among the last to still pick by hand, and it was a tradition I enjoyed so much that, no matter where I was in the world, I try to would fly back to be part of it. There’s something special in gathering a group of people in the freezing cold, late at night, waiting for Mother Nature’s timing to pick the frozen grapes. It’s an experience that’s as much about community and shared passion as it is about winemaking, and also very similar to the daily vibe of being on a film set.
WIN: Where do you ultimately see the brand going? You are still very busy with your career and are based in B.C., how do you plan on growing the brand, sourcing the grapes and getting it out to consumers?
Pohorly: Balancing my career and growing Unscripted has certainly been a challenge, but it’s one I’m passionate about. Right now, we’re focused on producing small, carefully crafted quantities of wine, prioritizing quality above all else.
As we expand, the real excitement for me lies in finding creative ways to connect with people through the brand, particularly those who don’t yet reach for Ontario wines as their go-to. Whether it’s going to be through fun and quirky marketing strategies, events and partnerships, or introducing Unscripted to new markets, I see so much potential for us to make an impact—not just across Ontario but would like to try internationally as well.
WIN: I’m sure you’ve tasted wines from all around the world and many of the wines from B.C. What made you choose Niagara for starting your project beyond the family connection?
Pohorly: Niagara is more than just my hometown and a place where my family has been farming for over a hundred years — it’s a region with a distinct character and a winemaking history that’s truly special.
Over the years, I’ve seen our Niagara wine industry evolve and thrive. We’ve adopted innovative growing practices and benefited from an influx of international expertise and diverse perspectives. My partner in Unscripted, Marco Piccoli, embodies this perfectly. His knowledge, experience, and sensibility have been shaped by his life in Italy and training in Germany and Argentina, bringing a global perspective that is a cornerstone of what we’re building together.
For me, the connection runs even deeper. I remember an Easter dinner at my grandparents’ house on Niagara Stone Road when I was six years old. My uncle poured me a sip of his very first vintage. Even though Ontario wines weren’t as refined back then — even the best might have just been called “drinkable” — that moment stayed with me. It was my first taste of something uniquely tied to this place, the soil, and the history beneath my feet. And if you scroll through my Instagram (@mikepoho here), you’ll even find video proof that, by then, I was already skilled at driving a tractor!
Niagara’s terroir, shaped profoundly by the retreat of the last ice age, is like nowhere else in the world, and its future holds so much potential. With Unscripted, I want to help celebrate this story — one of a region that continues to evolve, innovate, and define itself on the global stage.
WIN: Where do you see the brand in five, 10 years? Do you have an ultimate goal for the grape varieties you want to champion and the growth you take on?
Pohorly: Currently, Unscripted is featured in some incredible restaurants in Niagara, at Global in Toronto, and in Vancouver at Sempre Uno and Rogers Arena. Looking to the future, we aim to expand our presence to more restaurants across Canada and the U.S., while exploring opportunities to take the brand global.
For varieties, we’ve started with what we truly love. For reds, I’ve always been drawn to Bordeaux blends — there’s elegance, incredible flavour with depth and power. For whites, Sauvignon Blanc was my natural choice to start with. My dad originally planted SB because it was his favourite white, and over time, it became mine too. It’s a variety that feels personal and meaningful to me, and above all, it’s easy to drink, crisp, and refreshing for any summer patio.
Looking ahead, we’re excited to explore some bold, unexpected ideas and see where we can push boundaries in the wine industry. Our goal is to build a brand that continues to surprise and delight, much like the most memorable moments in life … and cinema.
The Wines
Unscripted Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($20, 90 points) — The grapes for this Sauvignon Blanc were sourced from a vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake and the wine was made with some skin contact, but no oak aging. It has a fresh profile on the nose with notes of kiwi, guava, grapefruit, white peach, a touch of fresh-cut grass and herbs. It has an elegant, rounded texture on the palate with bright citrus notes, tropical fruits, herbs, peaches and a fresh, lifted finish.
Unscripted Cabernet Merlot 2020 ($50, 93 points) — The blend for this wonderful Cab-Merlot from the near perfect 2020 vintage is 40% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon all from the Twenty Mile Bench. It’s aged in 100% French oak (25% new barrels) for 16 months. What a lovely Bordeaux style red with a richly perfumed nose followed by ripe black cherries, raspberries, cassis, subtle cedar, and enticing spice/cocoa notes. It’s mouth-filling on the palate with a satiny texture then concentrated layers of dense red and dark berries, figs, earthy/savoury notes, umami and mushrooms, mulled herbs and intensity through the long, luxurious and finessed finish. Can age through 2034.
The post You couldn’t write a better Hollywood script for this new Niagara wine brand appeared first on Wines In Niagara.