Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery was established in 1988 with the first vintage. At that time we were one of a very few estate wineries dedicated to producing premium quality wines made from 100% Ontario grown grapes. Our focus is on vinifera grape varieties. This family of grapes includes Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon, and has been cultivated by Europeans for hundreds of years proving to produce wines of distinction.
In 1984 when our father, along with each of us (Matthew, Daniel and Paul), tore out the Concord and Niagara grapes at our own expense, people thought we were crazy. When we planted Riesling and Chardonnay under newly contoured hills and under drainage, many said they would never grow. We knew, after studying the heat scans and speaking with some of the other more progressive growers, that our vineyard was not only suitable for these special varieties but also located on the prime grape growing lands of the Short Hills Bench.
Great wine is grown, not made
Our goal at Henry of Pelham is to do as little as possible in the production of our wines! From the vineyards through to bottling we are naturalists, allowing nature to take its course. For example, we grape-hoe as much as possible instead of spraying for weeds, or egg white fine instead of pad filtering, thus handling the wine as little as possible. These are not the easiest winemaking techniques nor are they the cheapest. On the contrary, these are just two of the detailed steps that are necessary when one strives to produce truly great wines.
The use of high technology and leading edge techniques in the vineyard and winery are the only way for us to maintain competitiveness while striving for quality. We are constantly searching and developing new ways of improving our art form. However, we have not lost sight of some of the more traditional aspects and techniques of winemaking. Since it is an art form based on nature, in many cases it is impossible to perfect. We continue to develop and refine our viticultural and winemaking techniques so that our wines reflect our unique soil and are truly wines of character and finesse.
Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery was a founding member of the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA). The VQA is an "Appellation of Origin" system by which consumers can identify the wines of Ontario based on the origin of the grapes from which they are produced. With the VQA system, Canada joins other leading wine-producing countries in developing a body of regulations and high standards for its finest wines.
From the approved list of grape varieties we concentrate our efforts on Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Baco Noir, and Riesling Icewine. Henry of Pelham has won numerous domestic and international awards, including those at VinItaly and the London Wine Trade Fair. Our wines are served in the U.K., U.S.A., Japan, and Denmark -- and throughout the world.
