Meet our Growers

In 1797 King George the Third granted a parcel of land to United Empire Loyalist Levi Lewis for the purposes of starting a homestead in Saltfleet Township, in Hamilton. Over 8 generations, that land has transformed from a cattle ranch to producing premium grapes along with tender fruit.

Growing up on the family farm in Winona, Brock Puddicombe, who like his father and grandfather studied Agriculture at the University of Guelph, always knew he wanted to be a farmer. Brock had an interest in learning more about sustainable agriculture practices and maintaining the natural balance of a vineyard and travelled to New Zealand and the West Coast of Canada to gain more experience before returning home in 2009 to Ontario.

Brock now manages the daily operations of the family farm along with his sisters Lindsay, Jennifer and Kim and parents, Carol and John Murray Puddicombe. The Puddicombe farm is also home to a winery, B&B and the children’s educational farm tours “Little Pudd Train”!

In addition to cultivating over 150 acres of high quality grapes made into award-winning Ontario wines, Brock also has enlisted the expertise of his sister Lindsay, a winemaker by trade, to help launch the “Puddicombe Cider Company Ltd.”.

Sally and Rob Peck have been owners and operators of Sugarbush Vineyards, nestled in beautiful Prince Edward County, since 2002. Their decision to become grape growers stems back to a visit to British Columbia’s wine country, where touring small wineries sparked a passion in them that could not be ignored. In 2000, they decided that if they didn’t jump on the opportunity then, they never would. After looking at several parcels of land they decided on a 50 acre property that was planted to corn and soybeans. With an excellent location five minutes from the water, good drainage and suitable soil Sally and Rob planted their first grapes in 2002.

While Rob grew up in Prince Edward County on his family apple farm, Sally did not have any previous agricultural knowledge, but she jumped in with both feet. Together they decided the best grapes to grow are ones that they enjoy to drink themselves, while taking into consideration the soils and climate. With this goal in mind, they settled on growing only traditional European vinifera grape varieties, with Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc being their core varietals. Being located in a part of Ontario that experiences colder winters, Rob and Sally have learned to bury 2-4 canes per plant to ensure winter bud survival.

Wanting to maintain their hands-on approach to all aspects of the vineyard and winery business, the Peck’s have stayed small, focussing on estate-grown premium wines. A self-proclaimed Garagiste (GA-razh-EEST) winery, that is, a passionate winemaker who creates limited production of premium wine in a garage-sized winery, Sally and Rob transform their home-grown grapes into small quantities of hand-crafted premium-quality wines sourced entirely from their own vineyards.

Their wines are mostly available at their own Winery store, local Prince Edward County restaurants, and limited quantities through LCBO stores in Eastern Ontario. You might also catch Sally and Rob at local farmers markets showcasing their premium wines. In addition to running a vineyard and winery full-time, they are also raising three young children and Rob works as an engineer.

Sally and Rob love their hectic life in Prince Edward County and look forward to the future. They believe “the County” has provided them with immense opportunity with its strong agriculture base, culture and environment. They see the region growing into a top tourism destination and are thrilled to be an integral part of it.

Exultet Estates Winery in Prince Edward County focuses on the distinctiveness of their property. In 2013, their “Blessed” Chardonnay won top honours at the Ontario Wine Awards and the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Ontario Wines. It seems fitting that the winery’s name is Exultet, coming from the Latin word “Exsultet”, meaning ‘to sing praise’.

Such a unique winery name is suited to their unique location. Although the Spinosa’s had the idea of starting a winery in the Niagara Peninsula, the appeal of rural Prince Edward County was preferred. Gerry, having a background in science, and Lia, a teacher, had been living and working in the GTA and had relatively no farming experience before deciding to make the move.

The Spinosa family purchased a 200 acre farm in Milford, Ontario, once the home of a cheese factory, and are now growing a total of 10 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio and Vidal grapes in its place. The operation is mostly family run with the help of Gerry and Lia’s kids for tasks like cleaning, bottling and harvesting in addition to a couple of foreign seasonal workers.

The original owners of the farm were the Striker family, United Empire Loyalists, who operated a dairy farm and apple orchard from the early 1800’s. In 1870 the milk from the cows was used for cheese production, a popular enterprise at the time with approximately 30 cheese factories existing in the County. Operations continued until 1956 when the building was abandoned. In 2011, the Spinosa’s had the building historically designated and now the former cheese factory houses all of Exultet’s production.

With no previous experience in farming, learning to grow grapes in Prince Edward County has been an ongoing challenge for the Spinosa’s, but their willingness to experiment with different styles of winemaking continues to set them apart. An example of this would include a recent creation called “Mysterium” which is a white table wine made from red Pinot Noir grapes.

Being a small winery in a relatively new Ontario appellation (Prince Edward County only became a designated viticulture area in 2007), the Spinosa’s have to rely on what is in the bottle to sell their product. Gerry identifies his winemaking style as “working with the beauty that his property produces;” he views winemaking as a form of art over everything else. Noting that grapes grown on their property yield different flavours from those grown on lands just a half an hour away, they are pleased to see that once people try a wine from Prince Edward County they can truly appreciate the nuance and character that originates from that corner of Ontario.

While the Spinosa’s are serious about their wines, they don’t take themselves too seriously. They have just taken home top honors for their musical parody “We Will Crush You” as part of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s 2015 “Reel” Farm Video Challenge!

1921-2023

Beamsville grape grower Warren Saunders, who sadly passed away recently at the age or 102, never dreamed of doing anything else than growing grapes. And the best grapes at that!

Warren, and now his son Leslie and daughter Ann-Marie, have been growing grapes since the 1960s and saw technology transform the farming industry. He has also witnessed changes toward higher-quality wines and standards that help him compete more globally. Regardless of these changes, Warren still preferred the good old ways and techniques like hand-picking.

Warren’s love for viticulture began at age 12 when he would pick raspberries with his parents in Hamilton. In his late teens, he worked at a local farm when they needed help, and by the time he was 21, he was working for Stelco. That job lasted 42 years, allowing Warren and his wife Ivy to buy some land in 1965 near Beamsville, in the Niagara Peninsula. Shortly after purchasing the farm, Warren and Ivy started their own family and were growing both fruit trees and grapes, eventually switching primarily to grapes and planting French hybrids and vinifera. Today, as a family-run certified organic vineyard, raise Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Merlot for small-batch, premium quality wines.

Warren learned the most by spending time at the Vineland Research Station, talking to other farmers. He says the generosity of fellow farmers in sharing information is something you can always count on. He believes this life is not for everyone. “People romanticize owning a vineyard, but it’s also really hard work,” he said.

Warren attributes his longevity to a healthy diet and staying active. Working in the vineyard not only kept him engaged and happy, but it’s also his secret to living to 102 years of age!

Nestled in the plains among solar panels and garden beds sits Harwood Estate Vineyards. Set in beautiful Prince Edward County, this 10-acre vineyard utilizes organic growing practices to produce Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, St. Laurent, Frontenac Gris, Marquette, La Crescent, Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay grapes that are transformed into award-winning wine.

Harwood Estate Vineyards is the dream of two couples: Don and Judy Harwood and their daughter and son-in-law, Kerry Wicks (President and CEO) and John Rode. Before the family purchased the land that would become Harwood Estate, there were grape vines planted, but there was no power running to any of the buildings. The new owners quickly determined that this would be a costly fix that might well put their dreams of a vineyard on hold. Fortunately, Rode had studied electrical engineering and had the knowledge and skills to begin putting together an off-grid solution to their power problems.

Over the next several years, they worked to install their own solar energy power station, which continues to be Harwood Estate Vineyards’ sole source of electricity. With the exception of occasional fuel costs, the vineyard has no ongoing power bill. Thanks to Rode’s ingenuity, the vineyard can now run a huge, power-hungry wine press—that dates back to World War II—without worrying about running short on energy. In addition, the Harwoods, Wicks and Rode are also great at conserving energy. During the fall, which is the vineyard’s busy season, the operation runs on a “most important tasks first” basis.

Due to their devotion to energy conservation and sustainability, the Harwoods, Wicks and Rode have sought to make Harwood Estate Vineyards as low-impact as possible. They have installed LED lights and an array of solar panels to provide additional power. Their battery bank is extensive and they have plans to insulate the property’s buildings with tin foil sheets that feature a bubbled exterior. They have also made it their personal goal to hire locally, reduce their water consumption and be conscious about their pest management techniques.

Whether they’re making award-winning Friends Rosé or looking out for the environment, Judy, Kerry and John (Don passed away in 2014) can be found at Harwood Estate doing what they do best: using organic growing practices to make great wine in Prince Edward County.

While Erwin Wiens grew up on a tender fruit farm, he chose law enforcement as his first career and worked as a police officer prior to purchasing land and in his words “making a go of farming on my own.” Erwin and his wife Dorothy purchased a 15-acre parcel of land in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario in 2004 and started planting vitis vinifera grapes the next year. Since then they have been expanding to their current size of over 80 acres including new plantings of Merlot and Chardonnay.

Admitting that it can be challenging to balance both careers, Erwin continues to work in policing as well as managing the family farm. He has learned to dedicate his time fully to one job or the other depending on the day, and knows that team work is key. The Wiens team includes family, one year-round employee and 7 seasonal workers who return year after year. Dorothy handles the administration, and book-keeping, while Erwin is hands-on tending to the grapes with their children helping out where possible. Erwin patrols the vineyards daily on the lookout for potential problems from a low spot in the vineyard that needs gravel for drainage, to determining where to de-leaf the vines for optimum grape quality, or making sure his employees have Gatorade on hot days.

Erwin has a down to earth grape growing philosophy: “Healthy soil makes for quality grapes. My goal is to leave the land better than when I got it.” It is this philosophy that led Erwin to incorporate sustainable viticultural practices by making choices in the vineyard that are good for the environment and the wallet. Erwin believes that giving back applies not only to the vineyard, but to his community as well. Both Erwin and Dorothy participate in community events and fundraisers, and the Wiens’ children play on local hockey teams and are involved in community activities. Erwin laughs, “Dorothy can take the credit for baking the pies and treats for bake sales.”

As Erwin says, “The business concept of being a grape grower is easy: get the grape, sell the grape, make the wine, sell the wine. It is all of the in-between parts that are tough.” Erwin aims for quality in all of his grapes and they are highly sought after, being crafted into wines at Peller Estates in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Vineland Estates Winery in Vineland, Ontario. Quality is always in the front of Erwin’s mind as he wants to grow excellent grapes that go into Ontario wines that make people say WOW!