I found Norman Hardie's winery easily enough, but was kind of taken aback by the rustic look of the place. A minimalist rusted iron sign and a gravel driveway greet you and lead you to the combination winery/cellar/retail outlet with the world's coolest wood burning oven and patio restaurant. No need to book a tour, just wander around the premises and make yourself at home. It is really that small and cozy. In hindsight I should not have been surprised at the lack of window dressing and pretentiousness, since Hardie's wines lack the same. Besides the wines, the retail store carries a number of gourmet products such as oils, vinegars and bread and even a book or two. The young woman who served me was cheerful, knowledgable and personable.
I tasted 4 wines: two Pinot Noir, one Chardonnay and one Riesling.
Norman Hardie 2010 County Pinot Noir Unfiltered, Norman Hardie 2009 Pinot Noir Cuvée L Unfiltered, Norman Hardie 2010 Chardonnay Unfiltered, Norman Hardie 2011 Riesling
Perhaps the biggest characteristic of Norman Hardie wines is its old world style. The Pinot and Chards are mineral-y with ripe fruits and judicial use of oak. Compared to the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of Beamsville, these wines are distinctly their own and yet everything you would love about cold weather wines. The winemaker's love of French wine is apparent in his own style; rich, warm wines that offer depth and complexity without losing their approachability. Regardless of wine colour, these are wines you will want to enjoy with friends over a big platter of food. Good food. The kind of food you can eat with your hands. Try the Riesling with some medium spicy samosas, the Chardonnay with a grilled butter drenched lobster tail and the Pinot Noir with burgers or pizza from a wood burning oven. Mmmmm, pizza.
Not knowing much about Prince Edward County and its wineries, I asked the staff at Norman Hardie for a couple of recommendations. One was their neighbour at Rosehall Run Winery. Rosehall's retail is in a contemporary concrete, steel and glass building with a beautiful little tasting room and retail store front and centre. Their staff also greeted me like they had been waiting for me all week. Friendly, knowledgable and helpful seems to be the character trait most sought after by wineries. Also available at this retail shop is a selection of artisanal products from local businesses equally passionate about what they make. I highly recommend you bring a little extra cash for some amazing mustards and cured meats.
At Rosehall, I tasted two Chardonnay, two Pinot Noir and one Cabernet Franc.
Rosehall Run Estate Bottled Chardonnay 2010, Rosehall Run Unoaked Chardonnay 2010, Rosehall Run Pinot Noir Rosehall Vineyard 2009, Rosehall Run Pinot Noir Cuvée County 2009, Rosehall Run Cuvée County Cabernet Franc 2010.
The set up of this tasting was brilliant with each of the lighter of the Chard and Pinot preceding the bolder version. All of them were amazing wines that anyone would feel proud to serve their friends and family. Very fruit forward would best describe these wines and you can tell that the winemaker's hand has a light touch allowing the grapes' natural characteristics to shine through. This is strongly apparent with one of the best Cabernet Franc I have tasted. Rosehall Run was a great find and will be added to my list of favourite wineries along with Norman Hardie.
I am not sure if it is an Ontario trait, a trait of the wine industry or simply my own bias toward anyone who brings me food and drink, but, as with my visit to Beamsville Bench, I found the people of Prince Edward County to be friendly, welcoming and extremely proud of their home and the wine and food industry. If there is one distinction it would be that Prince Edward County seems even more laid back and casual. You are never hurried and even the traffic seems calmer. I think, though, to do it best one would need to find a bed and breakfast to stay at and make a weekend of it to see all there is to experience.
Nobody enjoys old world wines more than I do, and no one appreciates the generations of experience that are represented in their products. But, as Ontarians we are lucky to have some great wines and, even more important, great people making Ontario a culinary destination. There is no reason for any of us to apologize for making the statement that "Ontario wine is as good as any in the world." And we should not hesitate to visit the wine regions of our province and enjoy the people and wines of those regions. So get out and enjoy Prince Edward County. And, if you don't mind, could you pick up a loaf of bread at Norman Hardie's for me while you are there?
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