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    Posts Tagged ‘TASTE! a celebration of regional cuisine’

    Caroline Granger is BREATHLESS IN THE VINEYARD

    Thursday, September 17th, 2009

    caroline-091
    I was excited last Friday morning to begin filming a TV commercial about Ontario wines here at The Grange. By lunchtime I was a little weary, and by the time the TV crew left that night I was worn out.

    Somebody said “I guess you’re used to this, eh Caroline?” referring to when I used to model, but that was more than 20 years ago - and I never was a smiley model. So having to be “on” and smiley all day was the most tiring part! Don’t get me wrong, I’m a happy person, and I’m happiest of all at this time of the year - harvest time. It’s so exciting, and I want everybody else to be excited, too.

    This is what we work for all year, and, honestly, I can think of very few experiences in my life that have felt quite like this. This part feels like the third trimester (a little pregnancy reference) when you feel like you’re almost there, you can hardly wait, but you know you have to be patient for the good of everybody. I think that’s a unique perspective that I bring to the vineyard that maybe the men don’t.

    This summer we celebrated our fifth anniversary at The Grange, and everyone feels really proud and positive and excited. Now summer is almost over and we’re having this wonderful sunshine and warmth at exactly the right time and it has put us within days of our targets in the vineyard. We’re breathlessly awaiting our seventh harvest, knocking on wood, and it looks like it’s going to be fantastic. I have learned to be patient. We all have to be patient in this business. Our first vintage was October 2003 but it actually took us five vintages before we felt the vines were mature enough, that we knew enough and felt ready to release a Grange of Prince Edward wine.

    Waiting is hard, but you need to have a real commitment to the agriculture and to the quality you’re aiming for.

    That commercial we were filming is for a promotion by the LCBO called “Go Local” that will promote Ontario wines in their stores in September. It’s their biggest ever promotion of domestic wines. They say Ontario VQA net sales rose more than 12% in the last five months, compared to 2% for imports, and The County is part of that big growth in sales. It’s funny, because people think The Grange is one of the “big guys” in Prince Edward County, and they talk about us that way, and you can’t fight that, so I just kind of “Suck it up buttercup…” But you know we’re all small here, in the County and in Ontario, and even in Canada. Did you know Canada isn’t even in the top 50 countries in the world for amount of grapes grown? We’re all small, but we’re all going for quality. And I think we all get emotional and excited at harvest time. It’s a good time to talk about your commitment and your hopes and dreams.

    We had a really busy long weekend at the winery, and now I’m off to Toronto to take part in a preview for TASTE! a celebration of regional cuisine at a restaurant. It’s kind of a taste of TASTE, and then we’re doing it again in Ottawa. So I’m really busy and that’s good. It helps me to be patient and wait for the harvest!

    Caroline Granger is President and C.E.O. of The Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards and Estate Winery. Caroline Granger is breathless in the vineyard as told by Jan Davies

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    Posted in Food & Drink | No Comments »

    Waupoos Wines Win Praise from Europeans

    Monday, August 17th, 2009

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    Photo by Graham Davies, The Bald Photographer

    “August 5 was a very interesting day for us here at Waupoos,” said Ed Neuser, owner of the beautiful waterfront winery there. “We played host to retired ambassadors and their wives who came from all over the world, USA, England, Italy and Belgium, to visit here.”

    It was John Schram’s idea to bring the diplomats to Prince Edward County. He was Canada’s ambassador to Sudan from 1998 to 2002 and became good friends with the gentlemen who were there at the same time as ambassadors for their own countries. Their friendship followed them Out of Africa, and they still get together every year in various countries, to discuss world affairs – in particular Africa – and to catch up with what each is doing (which includes organizing the G8 conference, planning Tony Blair’s Commission to Africa and one or two still serving as ambassadors.) Their reunions have been in Spain, Hungary, England, Belgium and Italy, and this year it was Canada’s turn. Mr. Schram is a Senior Fellow at Queen’s University Centre for International Relations who lives on Amherst Island, and he wanted to show his friends some of the beautiful sites in his part of the world, so he brought them to the County. The wine tasting at Waupoos Estates Winery came about because he also wanted “to show this group of “influential skeptics” that Ontario – and particularly Prince Edward County – does indeed produce fine, world-class wines.”

    ed-pouring-experience-blog1Clearly, the group was convinced. After tasting several wines with owners Ed Neuser and Rita Kaimins, they purchased Waupoos Riesling and Baco Noir to enjoy with their dinner the next night. Italy’s ambassador to Argentina declared the Baco Noir 2007 among the best he had ever tasted. “That made me proud,” said Neuser. “I already know it’s good, but it’s nice coming from someone who knows his wine.”

    The wine tasting was held on Ed and Rita’s private deck down at water’s edge. In contrast to the elegant limestone winery and tasting room, it’s a rustic place with a small cabin, simple wooden tables and benches and a million dollar view of Waupoos Island and the bay. Ed and Rita told them the stories behind each wine, and behind their personal journeys from Germany and Latvia to Prince Edward County, where they turned an old apple orchard into the first winery in the County, spearheading a brand new industry.

    Mr. Schram reports that and his worldly friends had “a perfectly delightful time,” impressed by the beauty of the County, their warm welcome and the quality of the wine.

    And Waupoos Winery had another red letter day on August 6, when the city of Belleville treated 34 visitors from its sister city of Lahr, Germany to lunch there – it was not the first time the dignitaries had made the trip to the “south coast” to enjoy Ed’s hospitality, and, once again, the Europeans were delighted.

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    Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

    Was it a culture shock? Are you kidding?

    Thursday, July 30th, 2009

    carrie-blk-prince2
    Photo by Graham Davies, The Bald Photographer

    Carrie Taylor talks to Jan Davies

    I used to work in the fashion industry, buying trips to Europe and Asia and all that stuff. We moved to the County 10 years ago with three small children, the youngest was only six months old, and I thought I was ready to be a stay-at-home mum. Was it a culture shock? Are you kidding? I was such a city person. Without my job, I went a bit nuts doing Martha Stewart-type stuff. I made about 100 little paper maché pumpkins our first Halloween here. I’m much more relaxed now!

    I have always needed a creative outlet, though, and when our youngest was still very young (and I was still in my Martha phase) I cultivated a big flower garden at home to make and sell flower arrangements.

    Now I’m marketing manager at Black Prince Winery. I refer to the winery as the unassuming bungalow with award-winning wines, and when I’m sitting out on the terrace meeting with clients or sampling wines, I can’t believe how lucky I am.

    I have changed in ten years, and so has Picton. There are more restaurants and cafés now, lots of new stores and so much happening all over the County.
    And the kids? In summer the older ones go out in the morning and I often won’t see them again until supper. I know where they are, and if I don’t, the neighbours do. It’s like it was in the old days.

    It’s funny how different things are when you get to know them better. The County has been like that for me, and Black Prince Winery is like that for first-time visitors. They pull up to what looks like a regular house, except for the wine barrels on the lawn, then they come inside and you can see the surprise on their faces. The tasting room does look impressive, if I say so myself. At Black Prince we focus very much on the wine, but we have wine-related merchandise as well, and I enjoy marketing our great products.
    Visitors are even more surprised when they step out onto the terrace and see the vineyards stretching off into the distance.

    Working with Black Prince Winery gets me involved in the community, too. We host art shows here and have live music sometimes, and we’re sponsors of TASTE! too. That’s always exciting, and what a success story! Talk about growing from small beginnings.

    Our newest promotion is King Rail Chardonnay, in partnership with the Prince Edward Stewardship Council to raise awareness of the king rail (it’s a bird) and other at-risk species. Gudrun Gallo is a local artist and she painted the beautiful picture for the label. Black Prince Winery is donating a portion of each sale to the stewardship council, and there¹s a draw to win Gudrun’s original painting. We won’t make the draw until every bottle is sold. That’s marketing! But we’ve already sold 20 cases, so it shouldn¹t be too long, now.

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    Posted in Food & Drink, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

    County Boy puts his money where his heart is.

    Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

    Don Stanton, Picton Branch ManagerDon Stanton’s first experience of the County was monumental – his very first breath. He was born in Picton Hospital. Don grew up in the County and probably had other equally exciting firsts here. But I didn’t ask, and he didn’t say when I met him one morning in his office on Main Street. What he did say is that he LOVES Prince Edward County, and he repeats that on all of of his advertising. Don is manager of the Picton branch of McDougall Stanton Insurance Company and a partner in the company. In his business ads he stands in front of County places and things that are special to him. There’s Don on the sidewalk outside the Regent Theatre on a warm summer night, his shirt lit up by the old theatre’s brilliant neon lights. Here’s Don wrapped up against the cold, leaning on a sugar maple with sap buckets all around him during Maple in the County. And there’s Don in the autumn, smartly dressed at the lookout on Lake on the Mountain, over his shoulder the Glenora Ferry is heading for the mainland.

    “It was the ad agency’s idea for managers to connect with clients by saying things like “I love Camping,” or “I love Hockey,” said Don in his self-deprecating way. “It was almost too easy for me, because I do love the County. That’s all I need to say. That, and standing in front of well-loved landmarks.” Do the ads appeal to people? “Actually people are calling me up these days to ask me to come and stand in front of their favourite place,” he said with a grin.

    He calls himself a County Boy, he’s a Queen’s University graduate who worked for a while in Toronto then came home to work with his dad and, ultimately, buy the business. When we spoke last week, he was preparing for a much-needed vacation, but he wasn’t planning on going far. “Nope, this time we’re sticking close to home,” he said. Of course this place that Don calls home is a vacation destination for thousands every year.

    A generous sponsor of community events and County festivals, Don is particularly proud of his involvement in TASTE! a celebration of regional cuisine that’s popular with the very people who are steadily growing his business. Coincidentally, TASTE! takes place at the old Crystal Palace, a stone’s throw from the hospital where Don was born. That’s the County for you!

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    Posted in Professional Services | No Comments »