The summer heat has finally arrived, and the vineyard is thriving. Pinots and Chards are on the cusp of flowering, with Cab Franc a few days behind. The vineyard crew are hard at it, shoot thinning and staying ahead of the weeds. The latter being very challenging this year. As always weeding is done by grape hoe and hand hoes, no herbicide/glyphosate will ever touch our precious terroir.
I am still getting over the brutal jet lag of a very successful trip to Tokyo. Our wines were very enthusiastically received by top sommeliers and journalists. The understated elegance and minerality of our Calcaire and Chardonnays and the finesse of our Pinot Noirs work extremely well with Japanese food. It is great seeing our wines in many Michelin starred restaurants in Tokyo.
There is a direct correlation between rising summer temperatures and the pace our wonderfully fresh aromatic whites move off our shelves. Our 2017 Melon has all but disappeared (few cases remaining). The 2017 Calcaire has been one of our most popular vintages of this mineral driven wine. Both are available at the winery and Calcaire is also available in select Vintages sections of the LCBO.
Our wood fired pizza oven is firing seven days a week 11 till 6. We have now added local Ontario smoked trout to the menu. The trout is cured with maple syrup from Mark Gilbert (our viticulturist) family farm and smoked at the winery in the John Bil smoker.
Our very popular “Braai” dinner series featuring a tasting of back library vintages continues on July 20 and August 17th. Please click onto the dates for tickets and a tempting teaser.
I, along with my incredible staff, (many returning for another summer season) hope you make it out to beautiful Prince Edward County this summer. While we love shipping wines to Japan, Belgium and elsewhere around the world, we are equally happy to ship wines directly from our cellar to your door. Mixed cases are welcomed. Click here to order.
Cheers from the County,
Norm and the team