Basics of Grape-Growing & Winemaking in Ontario – Mohawk College

I wanted to pass on the info about the course and how to access it at Mohawk College’s website. It is listed under Continuing Education. I found it by searching under the word Grape. Phil Ryan     www.villanovaestatewinery.ca Basics of Grape-Growing & Winemaking in Ontario

Of interest to farmers, horticulturists, backyard hobbyists, amateur winemakers and people in wine production and retail. Learn basic variety selection preparation & planting, vine care, winemaking, annual cycle, commercialization, VQA/QC.

Course Number: HORT 10025

Learn to grow Ontario grapes and make grape and fruit wines

“The Basics of Grape-Growing and Winemaking in Ontario” will be offered by Mohawk College at the Brantford Campus. It begins on Jan 18 and runs for 10 weeks. Classes run from 7-10 PM. The instructor is a partner in the Villa Nova Estate Winery. He has pioneered grape-growing  since 1996 in Norfolk County, and established the first commercial grape winery in 2006. The course is not listed in the published Mohawk calendar for winter 2012, but those interested can read the course outline and enroll on line. It is “Hort 10025″ and is listed under the Brantford Campus, but does not seem to be linked properly today (Dec 3).

This course would be of interest to farmers, horticulturists, backyard hobbyists, amateur winemakersand people in the wine production and retail. You will learn  to grow grape vines at low cost  from cuttings and using organic growing techniques. One class will involve tasting local wines, and another will be a field trip to our vineyard and winery. Many of the resources for this course are freely available from websites, however a good basic text would be “The Grape-Grower, A Guide to Organic Viticulture” by Lon Rombough. During the course, we will often refer to Geoff Heinrichs “A Prospectus for Growing Grapes in Prince Edward County” which is available on-line . We stock a number of useful texts for growers at our winery: www.villanovaestatewinery.ca

Christmass at Villa Nova Estate Winery

The elves on Concession 13 have been busy, making gift packages of Sweeeeet Apple wine and gift baskets with wines, Jensen old cheddar, crackers, and Kernal’s white chocolate popcorn. We have released Aenigma Red 2010 which is our “big red”. We expect that our Peach (2010) and Aenigma White wines will be available before Christmass. Unfortunately, Pinot Gris 2010 and Norfolk Red 2007 (dry) have sold out.

We have extended hours – 11AM to 6 PM and are open Tuesday to Sunday for December. In January, we will go back to being open only on weekends. Call us to set up a visit for your group.

Bird List August 6, 2011 Villa Nova Estate

Last Saturday our neigbours Julia and Richard took a short birding stroll near the middle of the farm In spite of the heat, they logged 20 birds as listed below.

1) European Starling
2) Gold Finch
3) Red Tailed Hawk
4) Red Breasted Woodpecker
5) Barn Swallow
6) Eastern Phoebe
7) American Robin
8) Gray Catbird
9) Eastern Kingbird
10) Song Sparrow
11) Eastern Bluebird
12) Northern Flicker
13) Rock Dove
14) Ruby Throated Hummingbird
15) House Sparrow
16) Mourning Dove
17) American Crow
18) Blue Jay
19) Cardinal

After some further work, a Baltimore Oriole was added to the list.

There are always lots of barn and tree swallows in the area. There are some good opportunities to bird on the west side of the farm where the alfalfa allows easy walking along the field edges.

We will have some new wines to release on Friday: a Marechal Foche (not oaked) and a Chambourcin-Bianca Blush. Both are dry. You can buy a glass of these or any other of our wines, or a sparking pear cider to go with a ploughman’s lunch or burger, on Saturday at our open house.

Join us Saturday on the 13th for Doors Open, a vineyard walk or winery tour, some food and wine, and maybe some birding.

 

August – Counting down to “Doors Open” on August 13

I have  not written much since we were overwhelmed by spring, and then underwhelmed by a wet May. The good news is that the grape vines have come thru this looking good and we are looking towards an earlier harvest.

We are inviting you to attend an open house at our place on August 13.  With the support of Norfolk County,heritage sites and businesses have open houses for visitors,  in the area of Wilsonvile – Waterford and Renton in 2011. We are providing opportunity to sample our wines, learn about winemaking and grape-growing by tours,  and opportunity to relax and enjoy live music, wine and food in the shade of our walnut trees.  Maybe there wil be some surprises like antique cars and tractors, or maybe just an antique winemaker.

Bring your binoculars if you are a birdwatcher. I counted 140 barn swallows sitting on our hydro line for flight school last week. We have those rare grassland birds like bobolinks. Check our birdlist on the website.

Jarvis “CornFest” takes place August 18 to 21st. Its a great event – music, rides, craft and trade show, silent auction and lots of corn! www.cornfest.ca  Check the map at our website www.villanovaestatewinery.ca

 

April 23 – You can still get Pancakes this weekend

You can still get a wonderful pancake breakfast at Chambers this weekend. I made a mistake in an earlier post.

Closed Easter Sunday, Statutory Holidays

Dear Friends;
We are closed on Easter Sunday following the rules set by the LCBO. There are 3 other days – Good Friday, Christmass and New Years Day that LCBO directs us to be closed. We are also closed on statutory holidays following Norfolk County by-laws

We are open weekends year round, and open weekday afternoons during summer and around Christmass. If you call ahead, we can open up for you outside those hours.

Spring is Sprung; New Wines Released at Villa Nova Estate Winery

Its been an amazing month of weather since my last post, but today really looks and sounds like spring. The grass is greening up, and the birds are singing. Sadly, the Tundra Swans seem to have moved on. Lots of them were staying on the ponds near Townsend, and would fly over our farm en route to the preferred cornfield of the day.  You can still get a great breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup at Chambers Pancake House on Villa Nova Road, just north of us.

We have bottled a dry Frontenac Rose and  a blush version of Pinot Gris. Try them at the winery or at the “Eat and Drink Norfolk” event being held at the “Aud” on the Norfolk County Fair Grounds in Simcoe, April 15 & 16.

We have lots of pruning ahead. It looks like we can have have a good year, because of good bud survival, so far but there are lots of other worries like frosts ahead.  

We are producing new vines and hoping to have a number of table grape (Concord, Brianna, Himrod, Sovereign Coronation) and wine grape vines available for sale in June.

Iced Apple Wine, Maple Syrup and Tundra Swans at Villa Nova Estate Winery

Its a geat time of the year to live on Concession 13.  We have seen our first Tundra Swans  (March 4) and we expect to see them on local cornfields. The Chambers have opened their pancake house and are serving their wonderful maple syrup with pancake breakfasts (8:00-2:30 weekends). The winery is open 10:00-6:00 at 1449 Con 13 (519-443-8787) . We have 3 fruit wines, 3 whites and 3 reds available to sample.  Our newest fruit wine is the “Sweeeeeet Apple Wine, which is an “Iced Wine” product, made with fruit from the Johnston family orchard (Norfolk County). We hope to release 5 new wines in April – Bianca, Dore Blanc, Riesling, an oaked Prairie Star, and Frontenac Rose.

Our neigbours have added to our bird list over winter, sighting Rusty Blackbird, Lapland Longspur and Snow Bunting ca. Feb 8. We have flocks of Snow Buntings on the roadside over much of the winter. They also saw a Bluebird and a Common Grackle  ca Feb 21.

http://www.villanovaestatewinery.ca Phil Ryan, Villa Nova Estate Winery

Dec 5: New wine releases at Villa Nova Estate Winery

Its a bright sunny day at 1449,  Concession 13, Townsend Township. We have frost in the ground, but no snow.

We are pleased to present  three new wines in the winery.  Norfolk County Red is a dry blend of predominantly Baco, Marechal Foche and Villard Noir from Louis Balogh’s Silver Hill vineyard (2007), with Marechal Foche & Lucy Kuhlman (2009) from Pais Farms Inc. vineyard  in Renton. It is a  great value at $9.95. Aenigma White 2009 is a vinifera blend with Pinot Gris( Pinot Grigio) , Pinot Blanc, Gewurtztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc from Vineland. It is aromatic and well balanced – a great wine for Christmass dinner at $14.50.  Finally we have the Sweeeeeet Apple Desert wine (2009).  Using apples from the Johnstone family farm, we have produced our first “iced apple wine” ($14.99 for 375 ml bottle).

We start our Christmass hours next week – open Tues-Fri from 2-6PM, as well as our regular hours of 10-6 on weekends. You are welcome to visit and try our new wines.

Our new “Ontario South Coast Wineries and Growers Association” invites people interested in growing fruit for wine, getting into the wine industry in Haldimand, Norfolk, Elgin, Brant and Middlesex Counties to attend a workshop on Tuesday Dec 7 at the U of G Ag research station near Simcoe.   Details at www.southcoastwine.com