Our People

A financier by trade – he is the vice president and co-founder of First National – as well as a lifelong lover of wine, Moray Tawse could also be called a terroir collector.

After realizing the potential of winemaking in Niagara, Moray purchased his first 6 acres of vineyard in 2000. In 2005 he opened Tawse, the winery that bears his family name. Today, having acquired over 200 acres and being named Canadian Winery of the year in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016, Tawse Winery now produces 30,000 cases of wine and has one of the largest portfolios of organic wines in the Niagara region.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Moray also secured vineyards in his beloved Burgundy and founded Marchand-Tawse, his project with acclaimed consulting winemaker Pascal Marchand. Finally, 2015 saw the much anticipated opening of Redstone, the newest addition to his portfolio and his second project on the Niagara Escarpment.

Jess has been enthralled by the world of wine since a very young age; at seventeen she completed her first vintage for her high school placement. After graduating from Niagara College’s Winery & VIticulture program in 2011, Jess took her skills abroad where she took part in a harvest in South Australia and in Tasmania the following year, with a Canadian vintage in between for good measure. Her passion for cool climate wines brought her back to Niagara, and it was not long before she joined the Tawse team to perform all of the laboratory analysis required to make delicious Bench wines.

After working closely with the winemakers for over four years, Jess took on the Assistant Winemaker role in 2018, and shortly after became Distiller as part of the team that pioneered the new spirits program at Tawse. In 2020, Jess assumed the role of Winemaker for Tawse & Redstone Wineries. As the leader of our of winemaking team, Jess brings her talent, knowledge and passion to the wines we produce, as well as her vision for the future of Tawse & Redstone Wineries.

Augusta has worked in the industry for most of her life, having started working in the vineyards in Prince Edward County at the young age of 13. She eventually enrolled at Niagara College, and initially worked at Tawse for her practicum in 2009. After a few years of travelling working in vineyards in Germany and Nova Scotia, Augusta returned to Niagara.

Luckily for us she also returned to Tawse & Redstone Wineries, and started working as our Assistant Winemaker in 2013. However, her true passion for growing grapes led her back to the vineyard in 2018. After years of hard work and dedication, including tirelessly raising and caring for the numerous animals living on the farm at both Tawse and Redstone, we are proud to now have Augusta as our Vineyard Manager.

Born and raised in Vineland, David credits early travel and exposure to different cultures and cuisines for fostering his love of hospitality from a young age. David’s career in restaurants began locally before moving on to leadership positions at the Relais & Chateaux Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa in Cambridge, ON, and the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, BC, as well as receiving ‘Top 30 Under 30’ honours from Foodservice & Hospitality Magazine in 2011.

David moved home to join the Redstone Winery & Restaurant team in 2015 as the opening Executive Chef and is thrilled to have the opportunity to further support the team in his current role as General Manager and Culinary Director for Tawse and Redstone Wineries.

Devin joined the Tawse & Redstone production team as Assistant Winemaker in early 2019. Originally from Manitoulin Island, Devin followed the Niagara Escarpment south to more humid climates and has been making wine on the Bench Lands since 2014. Prior to finding his true calling and completing Niagara College’s Winery and Viticulture program, Devin attained a Bachelor of Science in Biology and an exceedingly relevant Master’s in Biomedical Technology.

Devin believes that anything that can be fermented probably should be and is excited to be helping craft the diverse portfolio of products at Tawse & Redstone Wineries.

Daniel’s passion for wine evolved from his love of food. An avid cook since childhood, Daniel studied Marketing and Nutrition at Laval University and later became a professional culinary instructor. He then pursued his budding interest in wine to become a certified sommelier and went on to work at the LCBO for 6 years in a variety of positions including Product consultant and a Vintages writer. It is the prospect of a new challenge and the opportunity to work with a leading organic and biodynamic producer that brought Daniel to Tawse in 2008. In his role, he is responsible for driving Licensee, LCBO and Export sales.