Our Story

In 2018 Thomas Stallinga purchased Redtail Vineyards, a beautiful vineyard with a history of “low intervention” winemaking. Thomas partnered with his close friend Brad Smith to create a vision to become one of the leading vineyards in Prince Edward County, featuring wines made from the local terroir.

The foundation of winemaking excellence begins with the vines. Redtail scoured the local area for some of the best grape growing lands, ultimately accumulating over 250 acres for future developments and planting.

Redtail makes clean, classic wines, reflecting Prince Edward County and Niagara grapes. 2023 will see our first crop of Redtail property grapes, kicking off our ultimate focus on local terroir.

To complement the emphasis on superior quality local fruit, Redtail opened its new “state of the art” production facility in the fall of 2021. In addition to the standard stainless and oak tanks generally used in wine production, Redtail imported beautiful cement tanks from Europe. Unlike stainless and oak tanks, the cement tanks remove any influence of the tank on the fermentation of the grapes. Leading to a true reflection of the local terroir in the wines. The new facility features high-tech equipment, common to the leading vineyards in Europe.

  • Thomas Stallinga

    OWNER

    Thomas purchased Redtail Vineyards in 2018 after scouting wineries around the world for the perfect site. Thomas quickly fell in love with the County and purchased an additional plot of land in Hillier overlooking Pleasant Bay, the site of our 25 acre vineyard and new winemaking facility.

    Thomas’ vision is to maintain Redtail's minimal intervention practices and produce natural wines that are pure expressions of County terroir.

  • Brad Smith

    PRESIDENT

    Brad brings his vast experience in strategy and marketing to his role at Redtail Vineyards. He sees the opportunity to build a business that emphasizes in a sustainable lifestyle that balances innovation with environmental responsibility.

    Brad and Thomas met nearly twenty-five years ago when they worked together in the insurance industry in Holland. Since then, the two have become lifelong friends, collaborating on ideas and sharing in adventures.

  • Renan Theilloux

    GENERAL MANAGER & WINEMAKER

    Born and bred in Bordeaux, Renan’s passion for winemaking was initially inspired by his grandmother, a wine connoisseur who taught him how to appreciate a good wine. At university he studied agricultural engineering and horticulture before deciding to specialise in winemaking – the perfect combination of his interests in horticulture and wine education.

    It was a time of economic uncertainty and jobs for fledgling winemakers in France proved to be few and far between, so Renan became one of a new breed of fly-in wine-makers, travelling the globe.

    He honed his skills working back-to-back vintages in the California, France and New Zealand, where he settled for 6 years in Central Otago, one of the top five new world wine producing regions.

    His passion for cool climate winemaking and winegrowing brought him to the Redtail team in March 2023. Outside of work you will find Renan on a hiking trail, a paddle board or on a tennis court.

  • Jocelyn Gardner

    HEAD OF SALES & MARKETING

    Jocelyn comes to Redtail as Sales and Social Media Manager from years of working as a PSW in the county area. She brings her amazing customer service skills to our Retail shop where she loves to host tastings, connect with our customers and create all the fantastic social media content you see on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Jocelyn completed social media certificate at Humber College and is currently completing the WSET level 2 at Brock University.

    Jocelyn lives in Trenton, and loves to spend her free time exploring the county going to other wineries, cideries and distilleries in the area. When not out exploring you can find Jocelyn camping or going to concerts (huge music lover!) or simply enjoying a glass of Redtail wine with friends.

  • Phil Glover

    FIELD ASSISTANT & SPRAYER OPERATOR

    Phil joined Redtail in 2022 and is bringing many years of construction, labour and agricultural experience to his role in the fields. He has over 20 years of experience in Masonry and Construction in Ontario and is working very hard to keep the Redtail Vineyards perfect for the best grapes.

    Phil comes from down the road in Trenton and still lives there today with his wife and kids. He loves to share all things Prince Edward County with his family and can be found watching wrestling, hockey or playing sports with his family on his days off. Like any good Canadian, Phil loves hockey and plays, coaches and watches Chicago (sometimes with a glass of Redtail wine!).