Chamber Members in the News
Pressing grapes at Lavender Ridge |
Grape stomping |
Pontiac wine time
Kate Aley – Pontiac Journal – October 19, 2011
Pontiac – A ‘vendage’, grape picking and crushing event, was held at Lavender Ridge Farm on Highway 148, Luskville, October 9. Perfect weather greeted the sixty odd volunteers who collected and transported the tightly bunched clusters to the winery building. The pickers were rewarded for their toils with a Thanksgiving feast held at the farm’s newly opened patio that flanks the gift shop housed in the wine making building itself.
For the first time, a selected amount of grapes were crushed by foot (photo), purple legs plunging into the giant container to the strains of a piano accordion and to the delight of many onlookers.
“We couldn’t be happier about this harvest,” reports Joanne Labadie who owns and operates Lavender Ridge with husband Doug Briden. “We’ve picked everything we can fit into the crusher today.”
Many visitors, such as Wendy Ryan, were present at the vines planting in 2006. “It feels great to be picking fruit from the plants we put in,” explains Ryan. Lavender Ridge has approximately 8,000 vines growing.
Lavender Ridge’s first vintage, the 2009, is being aged in wooden barrels made for them by their own cooper from Pontiac sourced oak; the wine should be for sale next year. Varieties on offer are a mix of grapes from Frontenac Rouge, St. Croix and Maquette; and a white, Frontenac Gris blended with Swenson.
“The red wine is fruit forward with hints of chocolate, licorice and black cherry,” says Labadie, herself a qualified sommelier. “The white is a fully dry tropical fruit, with tones of grapefruit and mango and hints of mint.” Currently about 2,000 litres of wine is barrelled which should produce 3,000 bottles.
Labadie estimates the harvest taken this fall should double their production for next year. “We didn’t plant any more vines this year,” she says. “The winery is at capacity but we do have plans to expand.”
Lavender Ridge leads the way for three other newly planted vineyards in the area, those of Pavel Kohl, Quyon; Martin Dardeneault, Luskville; and Scott Judd, Shawville. Some of these farms are already producing grapes and expect to open for business within three years.
“We’re eager to help and advise the new operations,” concludes Labadie. “Wine makers are a tightly knit bunch, and the success of these ventures is another way to get visitors coming to the Pontiac. It’s my vision that Route 148 will become the food and wine region for the National Capital area and this is an important step towards that.”
KA