Growth of Prince Edward wineries reflects increased demand
By David Lawrason
Special to the Toronto Star
September 3, 2009
As the 2009 harvest draws near, the winemakers of Prince Edward County are anxious. Pre-harvest jitters are standard, but there is added pressure from the cool weather. The burgeoning wine region that juts into Lake Ontario west of Kingston needs a bumper crop to meet growing demand from walk-in visitors as well as establishing "export" markets in the GTA and the rest of Canada.
Growth is the biggest issue in the County – as locals call it – growth in demand, expectation, quality and number of wineries. The first winery (Waupoos Estate) opened in 2001 and now there are 24, with eight debuting or pending this year. The growth has been so dramatic that a controversial municipal policy to manage the wine industry was rushed into place in June, and faced immediate appeal, stalling some openings.
Visitor counts for the recessionary summer of 2009 have not been tallied but tasting room traffic indicates boom, not bust. "It's been an incredible year," says Keith Tyers, marketing manager for tiny Closson that sold 80 cases of its $40 Chardonnay in July. "No one was prepared for the number of people coming through the door this summer."
Within four hours of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, the County has been getting reams of publicity in regional, national newspapers, magazines and websites. Steeped in Canadian history and offering quirky geographical attractions (such as Sandbanks Provincial Park) and a bucolic, rural ambience, it has always been a tourist destination.
But the County's great contribution to the wine world is below ground, in the limestone bedrock, similar to parts of northern France. And it is fashioning similar light, fresh wines, with fragrance and finesse.
Australian Shiraz and California Zinfandel fans should not expect that style here, but they can expect wines that slice into cuisine based on fresh and subtle ingredients, which is why the County is attracting talented chefs like Jamie Kennedy, who now lives in the area.
Kennedy has blended 100 cases each of a Jamie Kennedy 2007 Chardonnay and 2007 Pinot Noir at Rosehall Run Winery that will be sold from Rosehall Run and poured in his Toronto restaurants.
Kennedy's $35 wines and the Closson Chase's South Clos Chardonnay are not the only expensive, premium wines. Long Dog's Top Dog Pinot Noir tops the price rung at $75, and the list is growing from wineries like Norman Hardie, Rosehall Run, Kient-he, and the Grange of Prince Edward.
Some are incredulous that an upstart region has the audacity to price in this range, but costs are high and yields are low, with many wines made in small quantities. In fact, there is little available under $15 and the average price is likely more than $20.
"It is very stressful, difficult and expensive to make wine here," says Huff Estate winemaker Frederic Picard, who has also made wine in Burgundy, France and Niagara. "We are a little viticultural laboratory; we are in a research phase. So I worry about the wines being too expensive and not meeting expectations."
Grange of Prince Edward, the largest operation with 28 hectares of vineyard, stepped up to premium priced wines with 100 per cent estate grown $35 Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc wines released this summer. The move was prompted by the excellent 2007 vintage, which came after three tough vintages. Winter freezes had caused some growers to give up, and convinced the rest that vines needed to be buried or "hilled up" to insulate them from killer -20C temperatures.
"We are getting used to farming this way," says Caroline Granger, president and CEO of Grange. "Every year we are learning more, and making adjustments. As our production increases I am feeling more comfortable that the County is economically viable."
Geoff Heinricks, who pioneered tender French vinifera varieties near the hamlet of Hillier in 1995, is banking on viability as well with Kient-he (the Iroquois word now anglicized as Quinte), which opens at the end of September. Kient-he's $45 Burgundy-inspired Pinot Noir (350 cases) and Austrian St. Laurent (48 cases) are instant County classics, but again made in such small lots that sellouts are guaranteed.
There are other operations, which were slated to open this summer, such as tiny Redtail Vineyard, an off-the-hydro-grid husband and wife-staffed winery making Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.
Hardwood Estates has Alsatian style Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and St. Laurent (currently selling through Black Prince Winery).
Karlo Estates (not yet open ) has Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and dabbles with a hybrid called Frontenac to make pink and late harvest wine.
Del-Gatto launched with a 2008 baco noir-based red and a rosé.
Lacey Estates has made an opulent 2008 Gewürztraminer and hearty baco.
Fieldstone, owned by Toronto-based wine writer Dick Singer, debuts with a bone-dry 2007 Riesling and Chardonnay.
Casa-dea has taken over Carmela and started from scratch with Riesling, Chardonnay and Cabernet franc.
Among more well-established wineries, Norman Hardie is releasing a terrific 2008 Point Noir from a vintage deemed inferior, accomplished by trimming half his crop to funnel more power into fewer, healthier grapes.
Along with Jamie Kennedy's wines, Rosehall Run's Dan Sullivan has turned out excellent estate-grown 2007 Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a surprisingly good 2007 Cold Creek Cabernet Franc.
Black Prince is embarking on the trials with oak barrels made from County oak by the new, local Carriage House Cooperage.
Huff Estate has very good 2008 Rosé and '08 Pinot Gris, and newly released $25 Chardonnay 2007 from its South Bay vineyard.
In the eastern end of the County, Waupoos is working with crisp whites and beefy red hybrids.
County Cider continues to make fine ciders, and has a very successful if minuscule production of Fool on the Hill 2008 unoaked Chardonnay, 2008 Pinot Gris and '07 Pinot Noir.
A short Glenora ferry ride to the mainland, Thirty-Three Vines has surprised with excellent '07 Cabernet Franc and '07 Chardonnay.
Neighbouring Bergeron has a wonderfully spicy 2007 Gamay and '07 Pinot Noir.
The best opportunities to taste a range of County wines is at the Artevino fundraiser for the Quinte Arts Council on Sept. 17 in Belleville (quinteartscouncil.org) or at Picton's Taste Festival on Sept. 26 (tastecelebration.ca)
Crushing on Prince Edward
By Mercedeh Sanati
The Globe and Mail
July 25, 2009
Even whipping wind and ominous clouds threatening to burst didn't keep eager visitors away from Prince Edward County winery tasting rooms on a recent Saturday. At Waupoos Winery, Huff Estates and the County Cider Company, staff juggled an onslaught of visitors impervious to the weather and eager to test County wares.
Prince Edward County, with its mix of family-owned wineries, creative chefs and chic art galleries, is officially on the hit list of weekenders from Toronto to Montreal: With the inclusion of 13 of its wineries in Andrew Brooks's definitive wine-tour guide, Crush on Niagara , the rustic island will no longer be known only for its beaches and fertile farmland. Yet, with its dreamy landscape and laid-back vibe, the County can't help but pay homage to its rural roots, making it a perfect place to escape the city in style.
Wedged in the “golden triangle,” within two to three hours' drive from Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, Prince Edward County has an enviable position. Blink, however, and you may miss it. “I drove that stretch of the 401 from Toronto to Quebec countless times and never realized that along the way there was a bridge leading to another world,” says Henriette Labelle-Campbell, events manager at The Waring House Inn in Picton.
Two decades ago, Labelle-Campbell and her husband crossed that bridge and invested in a summer home. Eventually they decided to make a permanent move, and they haven't looked back. “When we settled in the County in 1998, it was a rural community with very few amenities for tourists. If you hadn't eaten dinner at a local diner by 8 p.m., then you were out of luck.”
These days, there is very little chance of going hungry after dark. The Waring House is home to Amelia's Garden, a fine-dining restaurant that is a favourite with locals. Executive chef Luis de Sousa's five-course tasting menu features seasonal dishes that are paired with locally produced wines. (A timely offering right now: Baby Blue pie made with in-season local blueberries and rhubarb and an oatmeal-cinnamon streusel topping.)
The Waring House is one of more than 20 designated stops on the Taste Trail, a self-guided route that links some of Prince Edward County's finest restaurants, artisanal food producers and wineries. Consider it a delectable connect-the-dots game that introduces visitors to the island's epicureans.
One path leads from Picton eastward along County Road 8. The scenery shifts between undulating fields rich with apple orchards and pristine vineyards on one side to stunning inlets on the other. There's no clutter in sight, and the crisp breeze over the water adds an air of calm.
A sign points to the Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company, an environmentally responsible producer of cheese made with fresh, local goat and sheep milk. Owner Petra Cooper, co-founder of the Ontario Cheese Society, is considered a visionary. Fifth Town's production facility is the first in North America to earn the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum designation, and it won the 2009 Ontario Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence.
Since opening two years ago, Fifth Town has revived the tradition of cheese-making in the County and Cooper has single-handedly taken charge. “It's all about the chemistry,” she says. “I'm in the caves every day checking the cheese to make sure that everything is just right.” Her formula seems to be working. Cape Vessey, Fifth Town's first hard cheese, won Grand Champion Goat Cheese at the 2008 Royal Winter Fair.
Cooper is not the only County up-and-comer. Torontonian Mark Bartkiw, a photographer by profession, has unveiled an organically grown pick-your-own vegetable, fruit and flower farm in Big Island. “My wife and I had always fantasized about living in the country, but we didn't intend to farm when we moved here three years ago,” Bartkiw says. “After living here for a year, I was so inspired by the land.”
In addition to the pick-your-own product, Bartkiw has a market stand that has become a daily stop for residents and day trippers. Community kinship is a cornerstone in Prince Edward County. “There is a great deal of collaboration between businesses here. People really work together to help deliver an outstanding experience to visitors,” says Karin Potters, owner of Pinch Gourmet, a shop that sells everything from locally produced sausage to organic smoked salmon to hand-baked oat biscuits. Potters's husband, Michael, is owner and head chef at Harvest restaurant. Of the many wines featured on the Harvest menu, locally grown labels are in abundance, including those by Frederic Picard of Huff Estates.
According to Picard, size and geography bind the County and set it apart. “Niagara has 25 years of growing experience and more than a hundred wineries,” he says. “We're a young region and the newest Designated Viticulture Area in Ontario.” More established County estates such as Closson Chase Vineyards, founded in the late 1990s by esteemed viticulturist Deborah Paskus (a pioneer of the new County terroir), have been joined by the award-winning vintages of Huff, Waupoos and Norman Hardie Winery. One of the latest estates to make its mark is Redtail Vineyard, Canada's first off-grid winery, which produces up to 700 cases a year.
And it's not just food and wine producers who are chipping in. Prince Edward County's arts scene is also emerging. Its jazz festival is expanding, it has a vibrant theatre program, and the Arts Trail – a route of more than 20 artists and galleries around the island – is gaining exposure. Visitors can stop in at a variety of exhibition spaces, from Mad Dog Gallery, in a renovated timber-framed barn, to the new Oeno Gallery, housed in a contemporary light-filled space on the grounds of Huff Estates.
Oeno co -owner Carlyn Moulton moved to the County in 2004. Like other big-city transplants, she can't imagine living anywhere else. “It's a real place,” she says, “not just one fabricated for tourists.”
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Must-try flavours from Prince Edward County
2007 Closson Chase Pinot Noir
2007 Huff Estates Riesling Off Dry
Cape Vessey by Fifth Town Cheese Company
Barley Days beer by the Waring House
Waupoos Winery’s Waupoos Maple Ice
The County Cider Company Ice Cider
A Buddha Dog hot dog with red pepper jelly and brie.
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Prince Edward County wineries that made the cut in Andrew Brooks’s Crush on Niagara:
Bergeron Estate Winery 9656 Loyalist Pkwy, Adolphustown, 613-373-0181, www.bergeronestatewinery.com.
Black Prince Winery 13370 Loyalist Pkwy, RR1 Picton, 613-476-4888, www.blackprincewinery.com.
By Chadsey’s Cairns Winery and Vineyard 17432 Loyalist Pkwy, Wellington, 613-399-2992, www.bychadseyscairns.com.
Carmela Estates Winery (now called Casa-Dea Estates) 1186 Greer Rd., Wellington, 613-399-3939, www.casadeaestates.com.
Closson Chase Vineyards 629 Closson Rd., Hillier, 888-201-2300, www.clossonchase.com.
The Grange of Prince Edward County Vineyards and Estate Winery 990 Closson Rd., Hillier, 866-792-7712, www.thegrangewines.com.
Huff Estates 2274 Country Rd. 1, Bloomfield, 866-484-4667, www.huffestates.ca.
Long Dog Winery and Vineyard 104 Brewers Rd., Milford, 613-476-4140, www.longdog.ca.
Norman Hardie Winery and Vineyard 1152 Greer Rd., RR1 Wellington, 613-399-5297, www.normanhardie.com.
Rosehall Run Vineyards 1243 Greer Rd., RR1 Wellington, 888-399-1183, www.rosehallrun.com.
Sandbanks Estate Winery 17598 Loyalist Pkwy, Wellington, 613-399-1839, www.sandbankswinery.com.
Sugarbush Vineyards 1286 Wilson Rd., RR1 Hillier, 613-399-9000. www.sugarbushvineyards.ca.
Waupoos Estates Winery 3016 County Rd. 8, Picton, 613-476-8338, www.waupooswinery.com.
Wine industry Keeps On Growing in L&A
33 Vines latest vineyard to open its doors
June 11, 2008
Napanee Beaver
By: Adam Prudhomme
There's a new industry groing in Lennox and Addington - literally.
That industry is the wine-making business. The climate and soil of the area make it perfect for wine makers. It's beginning to take over as more experts begin to discover how ideal the southern end of the county is for growing grapes.
One such expert is Paul Minaker, who opened his new vineyare, 33 Vines, located on Highway 33. They grow their grapes on site, store the wine, bottle it and have a patio that overlooks Lake Ontario where patrons can sip their wine and admire the view.
Minacker says he expects more vineyards to pop up in the very near future in the area.
There's two of us here now (including Bergeron Estates, also on Highway 33), and a couple more that are thinking about it," he said. "There's probably going to be a few more showing up."
As for what makes the area so great for growing grapes, he says it's a combination of everything.
"The soil, it's close to the water, the soil's beautiful along here. You got a nice microclimate, it's warm enough, and we get rain. It's the terroir."
Terroir, he explains, is a French word basically translated to mean 'everything'. He said it's the mixture of all those elements that give the wine its desirable flavour.
Minacker and his staff opened their doors to the public for the first time this weekend, with a concert featuring Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy. He said he was expecting at least 400 people but could have up to 600.
The opening has been many, many months in the making.
Minacker says growing the grapes takes years to get them just perfect, and he began harvesting some of them this past fall in preparation for the summer opening. Most of the wine offered will be French, such as Pinot, Merlot and Chardonnay to name a few.
While Napanee may not be as famous as France, Italy or even Niagara Falls is for the win it produces just yet, it won't be too long before the secret gets out. As more people how perfect terroir is around here, they may soon start to think of Napanee when they want to pick out the perfect wine to compliment their dinner.
Cork pops for new L&A-based winery
October 2, 2007
Napanee Beaver
By: Seth DuChene
For Lennox and Addington County's budding wine industry, 2007 is turning out to be a very good year.
L&A's first commercially-produced wine is now available from Bergeron Estates Winery, now available from Bergeron Estates Winery, located just east of Adolphustown on Highway 33. It's also the first of a few wines that will be available from a handful of different vineyards along the same stretch which will be up-and-running in the next several months.
The winery has only been open to the public and selling wine for the past two weekends. However, for the two couples behind the enterprise - David Bergeron, his brother, Ted, David's wife Mary and Ted's wife Heidi Louise Robinson - it's been a dream about six years in the making.
It's then, said Mary, that Ted and David began contemplating starting a winery after Ted toured some of the fledgling wineries in nearby Prince Edward County. "The idea came up during a social event. Ted had done a wine tour over in the county, and he told Dave 'they're growing grapes over in the county, what do you think?'"
After that, they sought out some available property - they had to "knock on doors" to find a suitable land for a vineyard. Then, they had to wait for the last few years, tending to the plants as they matured to the point where the grapes were ready to be processed into wine. Last year, they picked their first grapes for their first commercially-available wine - and it's those grapes that make up the bottles of wine now ready at the winery.
There are two reds - a Pinot Noir and a Gamay - and two whites - a Vidal and a Reisling/Gewurtraminer - produced by Bergeron Estates. The wines are made exclusively from grapes grown at the vineyard there - no imported grapes are used.
Both Mary and Heidi Louise say that finally getting a taste of that first batch was a profound experience. "I don't think you can describe it," said Mary. "It was like, 'Oh my gosh, we made this. And it's good!'"
So, too, is it a relief to have the winery open and ready to accept customers, especially after "five years of spending money, waiting for the day to open up," says Heidi Louise. "It's really neat watching it evolve. It's neat to see what the end result is, after all the changes it goes through."
And, after having the winery open for two weekends now, they say that they've seen several visitors coming through their doors and sampling the wine. "It's been amazing and very busy... and we're hoping with the weather (it continues)," says Heidi Louise, noting that the high traffic due to the traditional apple-picking season has been welcome. "We've told a lot of our friends, but the highest number of visitors has just been walk-in traffic. It's a good time for touring vineyards right now, it's harvest."
As they walk into the converted bungalow, visitors step into a large open room with a bar at the far end. Above the bar, there are three original paintings by Kingston-area artist Heather Haynes. Those pieces, which Haynes painted after tasting the wine, have been reproduced on the labels.
Just a matter of feet from the back door of the winery, meanwhile, there are 10 acres of grapes in the process of being picked. Those grapes will make up the 2007 vintage, which will be available next year. "It's going to be an unbelievable yard for wine next year, because the weather was absolutely perfect this year," says Heidi Louise. "We have at least twice the quantity of grapes we had last year."
There are so many grapes, in fact, they have to convert a barn on the property to allow for more processing capacity.
Bergeron's is the first winery open, but it won't be the last. 33 Vines, located just east of Bergeron's is expected to open next year. Heidi Louise and Mary say that the two operations have relied on each other as they gain their footing in southern L&A. And, they say, the sooner more wineries come on line along Highway 33, the better it will be for all the vineyards.
Southern L&A receives viticulture designation
June 29, 2007
Prince Edward County and southern L&A can now officially be regarded as a Designated Viticultural Area (DVA), joining 15 other viticultural areas in Ontario including Niagara, and Pelee Island.
A DVA is a geographic region that aids in identifying the origin of a wine and its grapes and helps protect the authenticity of wines from a particular region and provides credibility for the local industry to build on.
Bergeron Estates Winery is located in L&A at 9656 Loyalist Parkway near Adolphustown. Owner David Bergeron is thrilled that the region has this been recognized with this designation. "We have a lot of the same soil (as Prince Edward County wineries), and with the picturesque settings that are here, it's a natural fit and we're excited to be involved."
Bergeron Estates began growing grapes about 5 years ago and their first product will be available in August. For more information, please call 613-373-1040.
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