SPRING HOURS

We will be open on weekends during May, 11 am to 5pm.  In June, we will be open daily.

WINTER SURVIVAL

By the end of April we find ourselves part way through the dehilling and retying process of the vines, but expect to have everything out of the ground and on the wire ready to grow by May 10^th.

Again, this year primary bud survival for any canes left above ground was minimal. However, buried canes seem to have come through better than in the previous two killer winters. Bud survival rates in the Applehouse Vineyard for Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Riesling vines seem to be in the 80% range. Selected cane cuttings show vibrant green with no signs of winter damage.

Given that only about 150 vines out of 20,000 were exposed through rain erosion of  the hills, we believe our bud health is probably our best ever.

WINTER TASTINGS

Our tasting coming-out party in Toronto was hosted at Grano’s Restaurant, Yonge St. Guests sampled some of our original, and now out of stock, wines such as our 2002 Gewürztraminer and Gamay Noir, as well as several 2003 vintages, and even a sampling of our 2004 Rose drawn fresh from the tank that morning. About 40 people stayed for a wonderful prix fix dinner designed by  owner Roberto Martella for the event.

In March, we moved to Allen’s on the Danforth where John Maxwell hosted. Not only did we sell out the regular seating for dinner, but some guests had to eat at the bar while others were able to be accommodated only for the tasting portion of the evening. Without doubt, the Pinot Noir 2003 was the great hit of the evening with one of our few remaining cases disappearing in no time. John, who has been carrying our 2002 Riesling, now has small selections of several others in his cellar. If you ask nicely, he may liberate one for you.

Our tasting event in Ottawa was restricted to the Sommelier classes of La Cite Collegiale where faculty and students alike were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wines, especially the reds. We spent a lot of time talking about the incredible soil variations in Prince Edward County. Although they had all visited Niagara previously, none were aware of the developments in the county. Many made plans that evening to adopt us as their wine region and begin visiting regularly.

In Kingston we were hosted by Clarke at the Radisson Hotel where they hold monthly tastings. Here we had an interesting blend of those county wine veterans who have visited from the earliest days to some who were blithely unaware of viticulture in their backyard. The highlight of the evening was a blind tasting of two blends, the Brighton White 2003 and Gamay/Pinot Reserve 2003. No one was able to identify the Chenin Blanc in the predominantly Chardonnay-based Brighton White, but some caught the taste of Gewürztraminer in this unique blend. As in the other tastings, the complex character of the barrel-aged Gamay with 30% Pinot Noir really delighted the participants.

ROTARY WINE FESTIVAL

For the third consecutive year, By Chadsey’s Cairns had a wine featured in the Picton Rotary Wine Festival and culinary extravaganza held in the magnificent Crystal Palace. This year it was our 2003 Riesling that accompanied the opening course for the evening.

We were also the only winery to have wines selected for both of the Waring House’s local wine celebrations entitled Cutting Edge County; they featured our Pinot 2003 and Brighton White 2003.

OTHER NEWS

Neighbour John Scott, has done a wonderful job completing the cedar deck begun last year by friend David Mather.  Nestled at the edge of the Applehouse Vineyard at the back of our wine store, it will prove a popular addition to our facilities this summer.

We also encourage guests to make use of our picnicking facilities under the maples near the farm’s pioneer cemetery.

Artevino was a collaborative fund-raisng for the Quinte Arts Council held at Capers Restaurant in Belleville combining the forces of artists and winemakers. Waupoos Winery provided the first-ever barrel of wine for auction in Ontario, and others provided specially designed oversized bottles of their best wines.  We worked with Doug Robinson, a renowned local sculptor, who produced a one-of –a-kind wine rack to feature five of our remaining 2002 Gewürztraminer that we extricated from the library for the event. The piece, with wine, brought in about $2,800, typical of the generosity of the evening.

For those of you who often ask about our Cotswold sheep, we only have a handful remaining but you should see lambs cavorting about this summer when you visit.