There’s no need to whine if you’ve not been to the city's wine and cider vineyard yet.
Located north of Georgian Drive at 421 Penetanguishene Rd., Heritage Estate Winery and Cidery has been operating since 2014, with the store opening to the public on Canada Day 2016.
Owner Peter McArthur tells BarrieToday that he didn’t know much about the cider and wine business before he got started, but he did dabble here and there.
“I don’t have any specific background in the adult beverage world, but I certainly have experience with adult beverages,” he said. “I didn’t go to university to study anything with the making of wine and cider, but I did take a cider-making course at Cornell, but that's all.”
However, McArthur does have a background in mechanical engineering, which he says is helpful because he is the wine and cider maker for the estate.
McArthur and his wife visited Chile, Peru, California and the Okanagan in British Columbia for research, but found them all to be cost-prohibitive ventures.
“You can buy a vineyard in Chile, but the Central Valley is not the Niagara Region and doesn’t attract tourists,” he said. “Not to mention the obvious of travelling and back and forth you would have to do.”
To buy a Chilean vineyard made little sense, or cents.
“The LCBO is the single biggest purchaser of adult beverages in the world, so you would buy a vineyard in Chile and try to sell to the LCBO," McArthur noted. "It is very difficult to make money at the LCBO as it is, with wine taxed at 64 per cent, but also if you have to ship from thousands of miles away.”
Being located in central Ontario has its drawbacks, too, such as the weather.
McArthur planted his first 8,500 vines in 2014 and in 2015 they got frosted out twice.
Two entire blocks had to be replanted after not recovering from the frost, but the winemaker says you have to learn from mistakes and move forward.
“This business isn’t for the faint of heart, that’s for sure,” said McArthur. “But you try and test different methods and keep moving forward.”
Heritage Estate has won multiple awards, with one of its more popular brands having captired a gold medal last year at the U.S. Open Cider Championship in the modern dry cider category.
Dragon’s Gold is be considered the signature cider that McArthur produces and is named so for more than just his love of Game of Thrones.
“My wife and I are big fans of the show and it takes a little from that, I suppose, but mainly it's my Celtic heritage,” McArthur said. “My family is Scottish and we love the Celtic imagery and history. The symbol for Scotland is a dragon, which is a creature that protects the king’s gold, or it is sometimes considered the dragon’s gold.”
While Dragon’s Gold is the dry cider, Eden’s Apple is the semi-sweet strawberry craft cider that counters it for those who prefer the sweeter taste.
McArthur says not too many people know about his 50 acres nestled away in the countryside, or that people can get quality wine and cider from within the city limits. But he hopes that changes.
“We do have a lot of customers who come to our on-site store often and, of course, we’re available at the LCBO and other establishments in the region,” he said. “Buying local is a big thing nowadays and it is very nice to have people do it, whether it is to support local businesses or reduce the carbon footprint.”
For information on tours and their products, head to their website.
