GLEN PICKERING is a member of The Wine Tasters Society Of Toronto who has been making his own wine for about 6 years. He also experimented with beer kits about 16 years
ago (John Bull). Glen decided that he doesn't like wine made from concentrate. He has experimented making fruit wine (cherries, blueberries,apples, highbush cranberries and (Riparia) wild grapes). His biggest social wine failure was serving Highbush Cranberry wine to guests (smelled like stinky feet). Best success was sparkling apple wine (can't keep that stuff around!). Eventually got tired of having cardboard boxes all over and decided to make his own wine racks.Glen found that there are not too many Canadian companies that manufacture wine racks in the style that he chose. In 1997 he quit his job at TTC to make wine racks and custom wine cellars for a living. Wine Cellar Creations is now in existence. Glen would like to grow grapes in Whitby on a North-West sloping hill, but needs help starting. This link is the Future site of Wine Cellar Creations or you can EMail Glen Pickering for information. Little Fat Wino's personal wine cellar uses his racks and air conditioning system with great success.
IAN MCCALLUM lives in Shanty Bay, Ontario (just
outside of Barrie). Over the past two years he has
cleaned out and reestablished an old vineyard (30+ years
old) that has inhabited a 1/4 of an acre. These grapes
have always been much as they grow and threatened to
take over the rest of the property unless dealt with.
The grapes are niagara and concord variety. He would
like to plant some wine varieties in the next two years
but figures the two varieties he has provide something
to learn with. He is learning as he goes but has found
this to be a very interesting hobby which has kept him
from getting into further trouble with other hobbies
(namely restoration of 60's British cars). EMail Ian McCallum
LORRAINE BROWN AND ANDREW ARMITAGE planted their first 60 grapevines on
their farm north of Owen Sound in 1996. The second batch of 60 was planted
a year later. The vines are located on a west-facing slope overlooking
Georgian Bay. We are about 400 metres from the water. This is just a hobby for us - a little experiment to try to push the
envelope for grape-growing in Ontario. We have the following vinifera
varieties: Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Ortega and Madeleine Angevine (both short-season white varieties). In hybrids, we are growing
Baco Noir and Chancellor.EMail Lorraine and Andrew
{Ed note: they were strong enough to remove the grapes for the first 4 yrs !! WOW !! LFW}
