George Hostetter died on November 20, 2003. Any person in the wine industry in Ontario, or elsewhere in Northeastern North America should know that George was a great man. You owe him much, whether you know it or not. I wish I had known him. He perfectly fits my definition of a Great Canadian.
It would seem that his great accomplishments have been overlooked by an industry that is taking on the wine world at every level. In another 20 years even Baby Boomers will know that Ontario is making some of the best wines on this globe. But we owe it all to a small handful of pioneers. George was one of these forgotten heros.
George was recognized in many ways in his time. In 1987 he was invested with the Order of Canada for contributions to Canadian Wine {which was toasted in French wine - much to the lasting shame of the Order of Canada and Canadians in general}. And now we have forgotten him. The only remembrance article I know of will come from an American magazine, Wine East. Editor Hudson Cattell promises an article in an upcoming (2004) issue, and has kindly provided me with a copy of the articles written in Wine East upon George's retirement in 1986, and graciously allowed me to copy them to this site.
The items below can give you a real sense of where this industry has come from:The Pioneering Years at Brights (Wine East 1986 article)
George Hostetter Retires (Wine East 1986 article)
Portrait of a Pioneer (Back Cover, Wine East 1986)