If it weren’t for the acres of vineyard that dot the road, and a simple, tasteful stone sculpture emblazoned with Hardie’s famed logo, it would be easy to miss the Norman Hardie winery altogether. From a distance the building blends in with the pastoral beauty of the landscape. Designed to resemble a modern barn – the winery is utilitarian and industrial in aesthetic, yet somehow still warm and inviting. In fact, the building seems to mimic Hardie himself, and his philosophy on winemaking.

Even to the novice wine connoisseur, Norman is a perfect educator, patient and non pretentious – it’s clear that it’s his life’s work. He is so personally invested in his winery that after a falling out with the initial builder, Hardie self-contracted the project, overseeing the design, and working himself to the bone to lay beams and concrete until his vision was finally recognized. Once complete, the real hard work had only begun – for Hardie, viticulture is the most vital aspect of winemaking. In fact, he considers himself a ‘viniculturalist’, combining the science of vinification and a whole-hearted obsession with viticulture. He sees himself as a farmer that grows great grapes, and a scientist that is constantly scrambling to decode their properties. Hardie ferments his wine in horizontal tanks, as opposed to vertical in order to infuse the wine with a higher concentration of lees (the solids leftover after the grapes are pressed). In doing this, he preserves more of the County’s terroir, saying: “Lees are the soul of the vineyard. Without them you lose the identity of the place – it’s like making veal stock without the veal bones.” Strong convictions like this one permeate every aspect of his operation; he is uncompromising to detail — barrels selected and imported from Burgundy, fruit impeccably chosen from several sites in Niagara, painstaking attention to his own vineyard from soil analysis to crucial picking dates and unparallel regard and investment in his staff.

This drive to capture the essence of his wines homeland, perhaps come from years of living nomadically. After nearly completing a degree in economics at The University of Western Ontario, he found himself traveling to the University of Dijon, in the heart of Burgundy, France to complete his final half credit. That French course, led to a sommelier course. This, combined with the experiential education he received after-hours in the fine dining restaurant he was employed at, encouraged Hardie to study his burgeoning passion. Upon returning home to Canada, Hardie joined the Four Seasons hotel, quickly working his way up from managing the dishwashers, to become their head sommelier. Needing a change of pace, and believing that you can’t truly understand wine unless you know how to make it, Hardie left the Four Seasons and began an intensive training period which saw him working with small, boutique wineries that specialized in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in New Zealand, South Africa, California, Oregon and France. On a brief stint home to Ontario, Hardie began seriously considering putting his knowledge to the test by starting his own winery. Numerous trips to Niagara ensued, until he was coaxed to visit Prince Edward County. Hardie was amazed at the quality of the soil – a strong blend of calcareous limestone and clay — the perfect mix for pinot noir. This ultimately made Hardie’s decision; soon after, the future home of Norman Hardie Winery was his.

This year marks an exciting expansion for the winery. Pushing the limits of his interest in viticulture further, Hardie has created a large garden plot to supply his staff with food, and establish a farm stand where freshly picked produce will be sold in the tasting room. This, in addition to the recent building of a travertine limestone pizza oven, has driven Hardie to envision even more ways to connect with the land and this community. Open on weekends, the pizza oven will be in operation during the summer months and provide locally infused, wood-fired pizzas to visitors interested in pairing their pinot with some gourmet, rustic fare. There’s talk of expansion, big dreams for the future, but it’s clear that Norman’s focus is on his grapes first. Anything that takes him away from that, would be taking a man away from his passion.

By: Melissa Larkin