Redtail Vineyard - Canada's only "off-grid" winery

Vines Magazine

2010-07-23T10:16:00.004-04:00

Well, It has been a long time since my last post. But, today, I had to blog this one. Redtail Vineyard is featured in the August/September 2010 issue of Vines Magazine. Just go to:
http://www.vinesmag.com/sitepages/?aid=2283&cn=FEATURES&an=County%20Character%20|%20The%20Pioneers
The article is very well written and truly expresses what we are about. Also, the print version has a bottle of our Pinot Gris 2009 on the front cover with the caption: Wine to watch - County Pinot Gris. Inside, there is a review of the wine. They give it 4 stars out of 5. WOW! Nice to have national exposure.

The video shoot

2009-09-03T09:41:00.003-04:00

Wow! What a day, yesterday (Sept. 2) was. For the entire day, Redtail Vineyard was host to a film crew shooting a video for Scotiabank. Our operation is being showcased by the bank as part of their Small Business program. The video will be used across the country in seminars for small businesses.

Now I know why I am not an actor. What an exhausting day. Luckily, we had fantastic weather all day and it was a fascinating experience. We can't wait to see the finished product. In the photo, you can see Pauline and Gilbert being interviewed by the film Director with the cameraman right behind him.

Open for business!

2009-05-15T08:32:00.002-04:00

On May 9, at 10:30, we put the "Open" flag out by the road and voilà, we were in business. There was a constant stream of customers all day long. What an exhilarating experience. Pauline and I enjoyed showing the winery to people. Luckily, our dear friend Susan was there to help us keep our sanity as things got quite hectic at times, particularly during the thunderstorm. We did not even notice the power failure as our solar system continued to provide electricity to the winery. So, when you come to visit, if we are not at the winery, we are working in the vineyard. Honk your horn and we will join you right away.

Spring 2009

2009-03-23T08:13:00.002-04:00

Well, Spring is here, finally. On Feb. 21, Mags, Terry and Brad helped us bottle the 2007 Pinot Noir. They survived this first experience very well and seemed to enjoy themselves. Once we put the labels and capsules on the bottles, the wine will be ready for the opening of the winery on May 9, 2009.

The winery

2008-12-26T09:54:00.005-05:00

The construction of the winery is almost complete and we should be able to move in very soon. The building is the only "off-grid" winery in Canada. Electricity is provided by solar power so the environmental footprint is as small as possible.

Redtail Vineyard winery

2008-09-26T07:53:00.002-04:00

On September 20, 2008, construction started on our winery. Also, after submitting copious amounts of paper, we received municipal, provincial and federal authorization to make and sell our wines. The retail store will be open on weekends or by appointment during the coming winter. Come and visit.

2007-11-21T15:41:00.000-05:00

When SiMi passed away, we knew of a young female Akita which had been rescued and was in a foster home, waiting for adoption. So, Pauline and I didn't wait any longer, drove to Belleville and came back home with a new addition to the family. We named her "Kinu" which means "silk" in Japanese, because her coat is smooth and soft like silk. Here is a picture of her.

Sad Halloween

2007-11-03T20:16:00.001-04:00

On Halloween night, we lost our veteran vineyard security dog, SiMi. She was adopted from the Akita Rescue network and thought to be around 11 years old. She loved to run around the vineyard and make sure no raccoon came in. She will be missed.

At the winery, we had stuck fermentation everywhere. The fermentation of all four Pinot Noir fermenters and the Pinot Gris tank had stopped just short of the expected end. So, we had to innoculate and get the fermentation going again. So far, so good.

The "vignerons"

2007-10-21T17:02:00.002-04:00

Here is a picture from the 2006 harvest when Pauline and I picked the very first cluster. Our total crop, then, was 30 kilograms of Pinot Gris and 100 kilograms of Pinot Noir. Well, the 2007 harvest is finally over. From Thanksgiving Day, October 8 to the 10th, our friends helped us pick 969 kilograms of Pinot Gris. Thank you to the ladies: Alison, Catherine, Jane, Karen, Mags and Rolande, and to the gentlemen: Bruno, Christian, Dave, Derek and Derek, Deryck, Doug, Jens, Mike and Terry. The cost of your work: bottles of our wines. Your friendship: "priceless". The following week we picked the Pinot Noir from 4 separate blocks. Working with professional pickers from other vineyards and a handful of friends, we, quickly, picked just over 3,000 kilograms/3 tonnes. For a first experience with a large crop, it was very intense. But at the end of the day, very worthwhile. Again, Pauline and I are very grateful to all the pickers.

Harvest 2007

2007-10-05T16:29:00.000-04:00

As the long range weather forecast calls for lots of rain after Oct. 14, we have to start picking the grapes sooner than anticipated. Friends will join Pauline and I on Monday morning to pick the Pinot Gris. There is about 1.5 tonnes of grapes on the vines.