The end of the sunny fall has been simply magical for the vineyard. These warm sunny days and cold nights have allowed the last of our grapes (Cabernet Franc and Riesling) to ripen beautifully while maintaining their wonderful acidity. Having harvested over 50 tons of grapes, our Thai workers have now also tied down the entire vineyard. To put the enormity of their effort into perspective, our 6 Thai workers have tied down close to 250,000 canes at ground level in less than a month. While many classify migrant workers as unskilled labour, we value them as highly skilled for being able to achieve such an amazing feat in such a short amount of time. They are fitter and more agile than many of the highly paid athletes who receive visas very easily. Without them, the beautiful grapes that we grow and the wine we make on the property would never happen.
With the cold weather arriving, our pizza oven remains open for takeout service until November 22nd. Hours are Monday & Friday from 12-3pm, and Saturday & Sunday from 11am-5pm. We’ll be giving regular updates on both our Instagram account @normanhardiewinery (please follow us), and our website regarding when the pizza oven closes for the season.
Our County Pinot Noir 2018 has been released in select LCBO vintages outlets. We’re currently selling the 2017 vintage at the winery, and the 2018 vintage is a pre-release exclusive for the LCBO. The 2018 is beautifully structured and has a similar elegance and richness to it as the 2017. Wonderful depth of flavour, and comes in at a rocky 11.5% alcohol, and 100% vegan certified. Highly recommend tasting both the 2017 and 2018 side by side. Please go to LCBO.com to find a store closest to you.
Alternatively, we can deliver directly from the County to your door through our website. Another exclusive to the winery is our 2019 Cuvée Tornado. This 12-18-hour skin contact Pinot Gris has a beautiful pink hue and makes a great fall to winter transition wine. Only 100 cases made, and it is disappearing fast. Please read the lovely history of this wine in our “Wines” section.
They say if you can grow Pinot Noir in Prince Edward County you can do anything in life. This attitude has helped us to adapt and change to the challenges that COVID-19 has provided. As we transition into colder times, we’re exploring winter food programs for the weekends. We will have lots of cozy outdoor space to taste and enjoy a glass of wine with friends on those crisp, clear winter days. No doubt there will be lots of outdoor fire pits to brighten the spirit and warm the soul.
Recently I saw an amazing sandwich board that has been well-circulated on social media which simply said, “BUY local or BYE-BYE local.” If you can’t find our wines in the LCBO (select vintages locations), we are happy to provide delivery right to your door from the winery. Mixed cases are welcomed, and we offer free contactless delivery on orders over $90 in Ontario. We also have very competitive shipping rates to Quebec and across Canada. Click here to visit the online store.
Cheers,
Norm and the entire winery team