Article & photographs by Candice Christie
Reprinted with permission of Go Magazine (Cornwall Standard Freeholder)
Until recently, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry didn't have much of a local wine selection to choose from, and the chances of finding a local club to raise a glass with were pretty slim at best. Luckily, that's beginning to change.
While there's still along way to go before "local wine" becomes a household term in these parts, the wine community in S, D and G has taken some big steps forward thanks to some local pioneers with big dreams and high hopes.
Paulino, the owner of Twin Pine Estate Vineyard near Iroquois, caught the wine bug early on as a child. By the age of 10, he was already learning the basics of wine production as he helped stomp grapes barefoot with his family back in Europe.
Upon moving to Canada from Portugal in 1963, he brought his love of the vine with him and vowed to take a stab at growing grapes in an area where many wouldn't even consider it.
"We always thought this area would be a good area to grow grapes," says Paulino as he looks out over his vineyard, which is named after the two large pine trees growing in the center of it. "We are trying very hard, it's not an easy thing to do . . . no one believes we can grow grapes around here."
Paulino, who has one of his very first vines from Italy growing in his backyard, plans to run his operation 3with knowledge, passion and a lot of heart. His feeling is that a wine-growing industry can do well here.
His hope is for his vineyard to become a jewel in eastern Ontario, creating a kind of wine environment in S, D and G that has appeal not only for local consumers, but to tourists who come to visit the Seaway Valley and places like Upper Canada Village. This way, he can pass down his childhood dream to his own grandchildren and his talent to future generations of wine4 lovers.
It's a big goal, but one he fully believes in.
"We do know we can make good wines," says Paulino. "But it's not an easy thing to do."
Paulino's love of wine is the type of story that seems to be growing more and more common in and around S, D and G. Silvain Gutknecht, owner of the newly opened winery Domaine du Cervin near Chesterville, believes a growing number of people have taken an interest in wine in the past few years thanks largely to the increase in the quality and selection of wines that are now available. "I think wine's coming back in general," says Gutknecht. "There are better wines than before."
Paul Eaton, a product consultant with the LCBO outlet on Brookdale Avenue in Cornwall, can certainly attest to the increased interest in wine over the last few years.
For the past four years, Eaton has helped organize a wine lovers club which gathers at the Best Western Parkway Inn several times a year for dinner and wine.
Eaton said for most gatherings, the club brings in upwards of 50 to 60 people. Attendance has reached the 100-person mark in the past - a pretty good figure for a club which relies solely on word of mouth to help spread its name.
The success of the club is proof to Eaton that local interest in wine is growing.
"It's unbelievable, every month we do it there's always new people. There's never the same old group, there's always keen interest," says Eaton of the club.
There's another part of the local wine community that doesn't seem to be suffering from a lack of support, and that's the do-it-yourself market. For customers in this area, the wine experience is not only about drinking it, but making it as well.
Wine-making stores such as The Fermented Grape on Brookdale Avenue can supply customers with everything from the equipment needed to make a batch of wine to the personalized labels that mark the bottle.
Marylin and Garry Peters, the owners of the store, said they've seen a definite increase in the number of "do-it-yourselfers" since they opened their establishment in 1997.
"People are becoming more familiar with wine and it is definitely growing," says Peters, pointing to good prices and the high-quality products now available as possible reasons behind the increased interest.
"The home wine-making industry has given more people the opportunity to experience the wonderful world of wine."
Given all the apparent interest in wine these days, it begs the question - could the local wine community grow to become something much bigger?
Although interest is growing and more wineries have opened their doors in and around S, D and G, the reality is the area still has a long way to go to reach the fame regions like Niagara and Prince Edward County have enjoyed when it comes to wine. Yes, the seeds have been planted, but they haven't come without many great challenges - the biggest being weather.
"It's colder in the winter, many plants in Niagara can't grow here," says Gutknecht. "It's harder to find varieties that make good wine and produce a few grapes."
The area's climate can take an expensive bite out of Paulino's operation; he lost roughly 3,000 plants to the cold this winter, a major loss for a vineyard that's still in its infancy.
"The weather for sure makes it harder," says Paulino.
"But we are actually trying to look at the hearty vines and trying to make a go."
Another challenge to overcome in the minds of many is the lack of support for local efforts by people like Paulino and Gutknecht.
It's no secret that wine production is a costly and time-consuming business. According the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, planting costs for vineyards can average $23,000 per acre to bring into production, which can take up to five years.
Paulino said he believes government grants would help to balance some of the hefty expenses and assist the wine-growing industry - and interest in local wine4 - in moving ahead quicker.
Gutknecht shares a similar view as Paulino, saying that support for local wineries in the area is still something that is in its very early stages.
"It's starting up, it's something new so it still has to develop," says Gutknecht. "It'll never become very big, I don't know how many people do it because it isn't easy. It's easy in Niagara, they can plant more varieties and more brands."
One Ontario wine expert believes both residents and the government have a major role to play when it comes to supporting the homegrown wine industry.
"I think that more people are interested in wine (today) but unfortunately the LCBO is making its living selling mass-market factory-produced wines with cute names and almost no character rather than domestic wines," says Larry Paterson, an LCBO retiree from Peterborough, who's affectionately known as the "little fat wino" on the world wide web.
"People are more interested, but only in a limited sense . . . until Canadians start taking their own (wines) seriously, they will continue to be considered second-raters elsewhere."
Paterson, who is involved in amateur winemaking and is a member of Ontario, Quebec and national winemaking organizations, wants to see Canadian wines and wineries shine.
"I do whatever I can to promote Canadian wines in general, especially those from the small producers," he says. "I know that it is possible to have a little winery succeed in almost every county in Ontario south of Highway 17."
From wineries to wine groups to grape growers and do-it-yourself establishments, the wine community in S, D and G has merely begun to take hold of both its consumers and passionate entrepreneurs.
With so much to learn, experience and appreciate about wine and its industries, the roots have literally just been planted.
Looking ahead to the future, Paulino sees nothing but good things in the cards for the grapes he's planted.
He's already picked out the crest for his Twin Pine Estate collection. Among other things, it will feature the colours red, symbolizing his new home country of Canada, and black, for his native Portugal. The twin pine trees, which have become the symbol of his vineyard, will also have a prominent spot on the crest. For Paulino, is seems the challenge he faces in establishing his vineyard is of little concern compared to the rewards he sees ahead for his operation and others in the area. "I have a feeling it will do well," he says with a smile.
Got WINE?
One such pioneer is Fernando Paulino.
Despite the loss, Paulino has no plans on throwing in the towel yet. Instead, he and five other vineyard owners from around eastern Ontario recently formed the Upper Canada Wine Growers Association. The group, which started at the end of 2004, acts as a support network of sorts for the members, allowing them to share tips and ideas on things such as the weather and grape varieties which seem to grow well in this region.
