What an incredible summer it has been; beautifully dry with just the right amount of rain. Fortunately, the latest rains have had little to no negative impact on the grapes. We have 10 days of amazing weather and beautiful sunshine ahead of us. This weather will provide perfect ripening conditions for our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

We will be starting to pick County Chardonnay and Pinot Noir towards the end of next week. This Thanksgiving Saturday, October 8th, for the 19th year in a row we will be hosting our much sought-after annual communal Harvest (see below for details). If you’d like to join us to celebrate a true Thanksgiving (thankful for the harvest), please let us know so we can confirm your spot. Email Joey (joey@normanhardie.com) and he will add you to our list for updates.

Our spectacular 2021 Gewürztraminer was released today. Gewürztraminer is not a wine that is ordered very often for two simple reasons. Firstly no one can pronounce it, and secondly everyone thinks it’s too sweet. Our 2021 Gewürz is beautifully bone-dry with lots of rose petal and lychee fruit notes on the nose. There is a lovely spiciness and minerality on the palette and a long, clean finish. Stylistically we emulate the dry, crisp Gewürztraminers made from the high-altitude vineyards of Alto-Adige, Italy. The wine makes a great aperitif on its own and shines with Thai and other south-east Asian foods. Available for purchase online and at the winery only.

Our pizza oven is now open for lunch Monday-Thursday from 12pm to 4pm, and Friday-Sunday from 11am to 6pm. Our tasting bar remains open daily from 10am to 6pm. If you can’t make it to the County to pick up our local wines for Thanksgiving, we are always delighted to ship directly to your door. Free shipping is available for Ontario orders $90+, Quebec orders $200+, and orders to the rest of Canada $300+. Mixed cases are welcome! Click here to order.

Cheers from beautiful Prince Edward County,

Norm and the Winery team

HARVEST INFO

Each year since opening we have had a communal pick day. We kindly suggest you to please bring your own picnic chairs/blankets to enjoy your well-deserved post-harvest lunch comfortably. We recommend layering and dressing appropriately for cool, crisp weather, with shoes suitable for outdoor, slightly muddy work.

Harvesting will start at 10:30am, and we will serve the meal in the early afternoon. There will be meal options for vegans, vegetarians, and pescatarians to enjoy. For others, we will still be roasting a 120lb. pig as is our tradition.

To confirm your spot in the communal harvest pick, please email Joey (joey@normanhardie.com) with your name, and the number of people who will be in your group. Please check your email prior to arriving. If it rains, we will need to cancel the harvest. We will only email you if we need to cancel.

This is a family affair, and as always, children are very welcome; however, we advise against bringing dogs, as you will have a large vet bill 24 hours after your dog has consumed a few ounces of grapes!

Picking requires many knee bends and spending lots of time close to the ground. If you feel your knees are not up for this, please still join us as we have many important tasks in the winery and field that do not require significant knee bends. For those participating in grape picking, please come prepared with sunglasses/protective eyewear, comfortable farm shoes, a water bottle, and your energy & enthusiasm. You are also welcomed to bring work gloves and a stool to sit on.