It was way back in May that we posted about Crushpad – a SanFrancisco based company that allowed people to make their own wine – at up to $10,000 a barrel.  Crushpad bills itself as a winery for hire – you buy a wine by the barrel and are involved in every step of the making of the wine, all guided by them.  They will also guide you through the process of selling your wine as well.  The grapes are grown or purchased from the best wineries in California and you are presented many options to create exactly what you want.

A founder of Twitter (Biz Stone), the founder of Crushpad (Michael Brill) and charity Room to Read (founded by John Wood) have teamed up to create Fledgling Wine – a wine company which donates $5 a bottle to Room to Read.  Mr. Brill claims this wine is identical to bottles which sell for $50 by big named wineries and that this project is retailing them (through prepurchase) for $20.

As you’ll see in the accompanying video, Room to Read is trying to reduce poverty through increasing Literacy in the 3rd world.  Their goal is to touch 10 million kids by the year 2020.

The following video introduces Fledling Wine in less than 2 minutes:

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In August we wrote a post called What a difference 30 hours can make which showed photos of how much Norman Hardies vineyard changed in 2 days.  It has happened again – after releasing a request for harvest help with definitive dates yesterday, the orchard changed overnight.  We have received an urgent plea this evening from Norman Hardie (go to out home page for an article and links on him within our site) – harvest has moved up a full week and starts this weekend.  It`s very short notice – we`re not sure we can make it.

The  message is below.   We`d love people to consider circulating the message to others.  If you do make it out to any of it, please let us know – if we`re there we`ll say hi and we are trying to track numbers to see if we could fill a bus and make a WellPreserved day of it next year!

It is starting to feel like harvest in Burgundy – pick before the rain. The weather looks as though it will rain later next week and we have some sunshine ahead of us on through till Tuesday. This means that we will have to move up our harvesting.

The great news is that I did a full cluster sampling this morning and we are north of 21.5 brix (better than 07) with fantastic phenolic ripeness, and the vineyard is botritis and disease free. We will begin harvesting on our own this Thursday, October 1st, and possibly Friday and Saturday (if the rain holds off). Sunday, October 4th is promising to be sunny along with Monday and Tuesday. If you can come and help any of these days we promise to feed you like kings and queens. This will be the first time we have ever harvested Pinot in Prince Edward Country before Niagara.

I am also looking for some hands to help on the sorting table in Niagara on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Any help down there would be grateful. Trying to coordinate two picks at the same time is also a first.

For those who committed to the 17th and 18th, all the Pinot would have been picked, however I think we will be picking my neighbours Cabernet Franc which we will be making this year for the first time since 2005.

Please email me at norm@normanhardie.com to let me know what days you can come. Bring warm clothes and lots of energy, kids are welcome. If you bring a dog please keep on a leash as the grapes make them very ill.

Cheers!
Norm

He is a heck of a guy and has inspiring talent and vision.  Thanks all for considering – happy harvest!

We originally introduced Norm Hardie in this article.  He is gracious, fun, passionate and committed to making fabulous wine.

Norm is getting close to harvest time and has an offer of a traditional Thanksgiving to those who wish to learn and participate in a traditional harvest.  In exchange for an honest day labour, Norm offers local food prepared by some of the top chefs (including yummy-not-so-local Oysters) and plenty of his beautiful wine.  This is a family friendly event and is less than 2.5 hours away from Toronto in Hillier, Ontario.

Here`s the details from Norm – if you decide to go, let us know that you`re going.  We would love to track how many are going as there`s talk of trying to get a busload together for next year (this year is tough with our own harvest falling across the harvest weekends; Dana is planning to make it on the second weekend which is the start of hunting for me).

Here`s the invite in Norms words:

We have had an unbelievably busy summer in the vineyard. Fortunately Prince Edward County did not get the rains that the rest of the province experienced. In August, we followed the conservative approach we initiated in 2008 and green harvested down to less than 750 grams of fruit per plant to ensure as close to perfect ripeness even if the skies opened up on us. This strategy paid huge dividends for us in 2008. September blessed us with 21 straight days of sunshine and perfect heat. The long term forecast looks very positive, so potentially, we are in for an incredible year!

We are anticipating harvesting over the Thanksgiving weekend (October 10, 11 and 12) and possibly the weekend of the 17th and 18th – all weather dependant. Raymond from Balluchon will be there to start your picking morning with freshly roasted coffee. Johannes and Manly will be manning the suckling pig on the spit, a number of top chefs will be doing their magic on the vegetables from both Vicki’s Vegetables and Cherryvale organic farm, and both Rodney’s Oyster Bar and Oyster Boy will be shucking. Goes without saying there will be Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in abundance to enjoy with the harvest lunch. Come and enjoy a true Thanksgiving harvest with us. If not, join us the weekend after. Harvest is a family affair, so your kids are welcome. And for those whose knees are tender, we always need hands on the sorting table. Please email norm@normanhardie.com and let us know which date’s you can join us for the harvest. Picking starts from 9am on, lunch served promptly at 2pm.

Look forward to sharing this magical time with you here.

Cheers!
Norm

8 friends and family members left the city around 7am on Saturday morning.  We were bleary eyed and laughing at what seemed like a logical plan before the alarm clock went off.  A quick wipe of the eyes and brush of the teeth paved the way for our escape to Prince Edward County.

We made our way to Norman Hardies vineyard and winery and started the morning with a small walk around the property.  The grapes are a beautiful dark purple or red (they are wrapped in mesh to protect them from birds so we didn’t take photos.

We were delighted when Norm announced to the group that he was going to put us to work.  We had to help bottle, label, cap and package 16 cases of wine.

Dana and I in action:

Taking part in the process made me appreciate how intimate these bottles truly are.  It is a process that is closely related to our jarring and canning and has really left an impression on me.  This is not wine made in a massive factory with cold machines whirring at 1,000 miles an hour – instead it moves slow, deliberately and each bottle is hand-filled with wine – and passion.

`Are you both ok with spicy stuff?`  This is not a query I typically associate with wine tasting but the smiling man behind the counter had just levied those words at us.

Dana and I nodded before receiving our instructions.  `Take a good swig of this into your mouth and swirl it around for a bit.  It won`t be hot until you swallow it.`

We followed instructions.  A sweet almost cider-like taste filled my mouth before downing the contents of my mouth with eager anticipation.  The excitement paid off with the dry burn of peppery heat.  I looked at Dana for her reaction.  I knew instantly that we were leaving with a bottle of this `Smokin`Apple Seriously Hot Cooking Wine.`

I drove past Applewood Farm Winery for more than two years when I attended College.  I suppose I was in the rush of youth to get somewhere else and never made the occasion to turn off McCowan road and down the pleasant dirt driveway.  My cousin Chantal had recently brought her twins and shared the good word that there was some neat discoveries to be had.

The farm is currently open for berry picking and there were lots of families taking advantage of a picnic play area and taking wagon rides through the fields.  We headed right for the barn to see what was to be had.  It turned out that there were many wonderful surprises – most of them being alcoholic in nature (though we will return in the fall for local apple picking to be sure).

This is a place for fruit wine – apple, berry, ciders, blueberry and pear ports and a few different versions of apple meade (a fruit wine with honey as it`s sugar base).  Samples were plenty – we were free to try many wonderful things that were all very pleasant.  The Mac(intosh) Meade stopped us in our tracks – sweet, thick and a tickle on the tongue balanced the fine bubble and sharp bite of apple.  It is aged up to four years before obtaining it`s easy drink-ability and instant pleasure.  Meade is a traditional drink that many have all but forgotten about – thankfully Applewood has not.

The pleasant country setting and family-run farm is a supporter of local food (both from their own farm and locally purchased fruit for their wines).  This family farm (maintained by the Passafiume family for almost 30 years) is a great way to pass some time and try some products that you wouldn`t have access to otherwise.  They are making a strong case for the relevance and exciting things happening around fermenting fruit (other than grapes)!

Matt (our host, who owns Applewood along with his wife Stephanie) is so clearly passionate about what he does that it’s contagious.  He openly shared information including some of his resources for eating locally and tipped us off on where to find Ontario Artichokes in September!  He also informed us that his brother is opening an Organic farm next summer – I’m sure we’ll swing by there as well.  He mentioned that he really loved talking about food and drink and his authenticity was without question.

Applewood is on McCowan Road, just north of Stouffville sideroad.  Travel time from Toronto is about 30 minutes.  There are several other farms nearby (and fresh honey across the road) that you can easily make an afternoon of it.

It was a dark and stormy morning.  It really, really was.  The morning of March 29th was cold, rainy and otherwise miserable.  It was the second day of Prince Edward County`s Maple Syrup festival.  The day before was full of glorious sun (we were 100 kilometers away from the country that day) and the festival was hopping.  Sunday morning was wet and not hopping.

We pulled into the county with no plan.  I was excited to have a bushel of apples and knew that a long day would be followed by a drive home with a few samples of local fare and the next day would be the first batch of preserves of the year – 75 pounds of sweet brown sauce lay in the near future and a day of exploration filled our daily plans.  The rain was a minor inconvenience.

The first vineyard that we stopped in was out of a postcard.  It was a swell place and the staff were friendly but the place seemed a little stuffy.  Wine (and the pursuit of it) can become inaccessible for me very quickly.  I am certainly no expert and find myself quickly out of my comfort zone.  I find myself quickly lost in the knowledge of moderately passionate wine lovers and sometimes intimidated by those who know a lot.

My first experiences in wine were unique.  I had been studying travel and tourism at college and wine tastings were semi-regular.  The rural college was afraid of libel related to students drinking and driving and did not want a school full of drunk kids.  Tastings would be scheduled for 7:30 in the morning and often accompanied by a coffee.  The glamour and taste were corrupted and despite some level of study I came out claiming that I liked Merlot the best – mostly because it was something safe and I could name it.

I have the good fortune of being around many that guide my purchases past the vast selection of Baby Duck and Black Tower that would otherwise fill my shelves.  OK, that`s an exaggeration – however it remains a fact that friends have saved me a lot of trial and error and have helped guide me to some stunning tastes that do indeed fill our wine shelves.

Back to the rainy day…

We continued past the nice but stuffy place and continued into the county.  This was our first visit and we were starting to feel the magic of the place when we turned into Norman Hardie Winery.  We stopped to take a photo of the sign on the way in.  Dana mentioned she had heard of the wine through a friend who vacations in the county and mentioned it by name.  She was a big fan and recommend it.

Our truck rumbled slowly down a thin dirt path as we wondered what would happen if a car approached from the other way.  We drove alongside a large field filled with empty vines which shuddered through the cold, hoping for the sun.  Plastic water bottles hung from the rows which we guessed were for measuring the amount of rain each area received.  The road took a corner followed by another and we were staring at an alien looking barn.  We pulled up beside the only other car in site.

After walking across the gravel lot we opened the door to this noveau building and were greeted with a gregarious smile and an offer of smoked salmon.  It was great.  Our host offered us a few samplings for a reasonable price and we chatted with the stranger for almost an hour.  He was great.

The conversation was warm, friendly and void of any stuffiness.  It was clear that the wine was a very serious operation and not an afterthought but it wasn`t the only thought.  There was room for humour, chatting and shooting the breeze.  He introduced himself as `Norm`after 45 minutes of chat and we were leaving with wine in tow.  He quietly confirmed that he was `THAT` Norm.

I should also mention his wine.  Norm poured several samples for us that were really, really nice.  We quite liked it and were enjoying it all when he poured us a glass of his Pinot Noir.  He smiled as we raised it to our mouths and the wine exploded into our mouths.  It is absolutely fantastic.  More on his Pinot in a few…

Fast forward 6 weeks and we are sitting in Gilead for what we have called our best dinner so far this year.  Norm was the featured winemaker of the evening.  We reacquainted and settled in for the night ahead.

Norm worked the room with his charm.  He`s not what one would expect – certainly not from the Hollywood romantic prose of a suave romantic sort with a French accent and a pointy moustache.  He`s far more authentic than that and you get an immediate sense that his primary love is his craft.  He has a mad flicker in his eye that hints there`s something going on behind the scenes.

Norm explained that he was a sommelier (and restaurant manager at the Four Seasons)  for many years before deciding he was growing tired of being an armchair quarterback.  He travelled the world for 6 years studying wine-making.  He travelled the world before settling back in the Toronto area looking to sew his roots.  A trip to Prince Edward County was all the exploration he needed to set a course for his future.  The soil (a soft clay) was rare and the climate cool.

Norm explained to us that grapes ripen best under 32 degrees Celsius.  The county raised over 30 degrees 6 times last August – an ideal climate for his elixir.  This cool temperature comes with a price – the vines have to be hilled up (buried like roses) every fall before being uncovered in the spring.  50,000-75,000 vines.  Wine regions south of us (in Ontario) do not have this same burden.  The work is boggling to try to even imagine.

Norm loves what he does.  He quizzed the room to see who liked different types of wines.  When he had a few shrills of delight he smiled a boyish grin and claimed, `well, you`re not going to like this one.`  He describes another as smelling of diesel and gunmetal and advises you should drink it in large gulps.  He explains that there will be no dessert wine this evening because he doesn`t think picking grapes in January is any fun.

Norm is also an educator.  He proudly raises his glass to the light and asks you to examine the color.  I thought the Pinto Noir looked awfully light, almost pink.  I fell for his pitch hook, line and sinker.  After examining the color he boldly claims that color does not matter a thing and offers the name of a lab which you can send your wine to and they will ship you a dye for the rest of your batch to fix you up.  I was even more enamored of the Pinot and Norman.  He challenges us to guess the percentage of alcohol and surprises many who think it must be higher in alcohol (which can inhibit flavor).  There is no mistake tha the knows his stuff – and no mistake that he is willing to share and will not turn his nose.

Like Norman himself, his wines are very accessible.  His website offers you options to email, call or drop bye and chat wine.  Take him up on the offer and take a few bottles home with you (they are sold mostly through the winery and restaurants).