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farmers & artisans
Creating a New Wine Region
Huron County Wine Development
By JANE ANTONIAK
The Old World adage, “If you can
grow peaches, you can grow
grapes” — and thus, make wine
— is about to be tested in Huron
County. After three years of soil and climate
testing, investors and the economic development
department, supported by wine
industry experts, are poised to start the rst
planting of grape vines, which could lead to
a new wine/tourism industry in Huron.
“ere’s a whole area along the shores
of Lake Huron where they typically grew
fruit, peach trees, a century ago,” says Mike
Pullen, Economic Development Ocer
for Huron County. “ey stopped growing
peaches for economic reasons and replaced
it with growing owers. e zone runs from
Port Albert to Grand Bend along a natural
ridge, which is three to four kilometres wide.
e height of the ridge reaches 500 feet,
which is higher than the Niagara escarpment
and so it creates the same mezzo- and
micro-climate as Niagara.”
Leading experts have been studying the
area along the shoreline to see if the colder
Huron climate would hinder the growth of
grape vines. According to Richard Fitoussi,
a retired partner in e Little Inn of Bayeld
and a lover of wine and Huron County, there
are new root stalks and grafts designed to
survive cold climates.
“I have a lot of friends
in the wine world, and
they’ve always said, ‘Where
you can grow peaches,
you can make decent
wine’ so that stuck in my
head. I was at the Bayeld
Garden Club when the
owner of Huron Ridge
(greenhouses) gave a presentation
that prompted
me to visit his operation. On the walls were
old photos of peach orchards in this area.
From then on, the ball just got rolling. But
№ 32 | November/December 2011
we wanted to take it slow and do all our
research rst before talking with investors.”
Working with the Huron Business Development
Corp, local municipalities, and the
tourism and agriculture industries in Huron,
a new group called the Huron Shore Viticulture
Network was formed this past summer.
e ultimate goal is to develop 100 acres for
growing grapes, which would lead to 300
tonnes of production and the creation of the
Huron Shores VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance)
designation — the same as has been
done in Niagara, Lake Erie North Shore,
Pelee Island and Prince Edward County.
Mike Pullen says their research has led
them to create a list of recommended varieties
of grapes that could be successfully
Exact locations remain guarded secrets, but after
extensive soil and weather testing, investors are
poised to launch Huron County’s rst winery.