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From the soil
Nearly a year has passed since a devastating late-season frost descended upon the vines and tender fruit crops of Prince Edward County. What made it a particularly cruel event was that while the icy frost ruined much of the fruit in just a few hours—growers were required to tend, prune and cultivate all season long as though there would be a normal harvest. To do otherwise would be to lose the vines and plants. It must surely call upon a special type of stamina to keep going under such painful and costly circumstances.
Winegrowers were hit the worst. Most, but not all, suffered some damage. For some the loss was complete. Yet they knew even as they worked frantically through the night to discourage the killing frost, that this was just a setback. Nothing more.
“It was a tough night,” said Kathleen Greenaway, president of the Prince Edward County Winegrowers Association last May. “What it shows, I think, is just how far we have come in the County. We solved the winter problem. We will endure the late frost problem and be stronger for it.”
Currently, the County boasts more than 40 wineries, producing more than 150,000 cases each year. The sector has invested more than $41.5 million in the ground in Prince Edward County in vines, production and customer experience facilities. Annual sales are conservatively estimated at $15.6 million, and the sector employs the equivalent of 130 full-time jobs—cultivating, processing, as well as sales, marketing and event management. The economic impact on the County is estimated to be more than $84.3 million annually.
That is just the beginning of the story. Inspired by the winemakers’ pioneering spirit, a wave of entrepreneurs and innovators have followed, producing a vast array of value-added goods: bread, cheese, beer, sauces, ferments and vegetables. They are innovating at every stage: from cultivation to growing, harvesting, processing, packaging and distribution.
Accommodation facilities have blossomed across the County, welcoming more folks to stay and spend time in this community each year. Restaurants and chefs across the County know they are intimate partners with winegrowers and food producers in Prince Edward County. It is impossible to disentangle these symbiotic and rewarding relationships.
More investment is coming to the County. In 2009, Canadians drank 1.2 million litres of craft beer. By 2014, craft beer consumption was more than 2 million litres. Barley Days, Lake on the Mountain, County Canteen and County Road Beer will be joined by other small breweries in the County this year and next. Much of it will be brewed with hops grown in Prince Edward County.
Each of these investors, entrepreneurs and innovators is a gift to the County’s economy. For too long, this place was a doormat for folks travelling to and from Sandbanks’ beaches. Today the County is the destination—the beach is but one of many reasons to come and spend time here.
Over the past two decades, this economy has evolved and adapted to serve a market eager to immerse itself in the County experience—wandering through vineyards, sipping cider atop the escarpment overlooking Lake Ontario, basking in the sun on one of dozens of alluring patios and pastoral settings that welcome wine tasters, or prowling the markets and vegetable stands on our rural roads—many of which end at the water’s edge.
This weekend, Terroir showcases much of this goodness all in one place. On Saturday, the Crystal Palace in Picton will be home to the County’s winegrowers as well as a growing number of producers.
To understand the County’s economy and the immense potential it offers, one needs to spend some time wandering around the Crystal Palace during Terroir. Sample some wine, cheese, bread and other fine offerings. But then stand back and consider what is going on here. This is but a small window into a powerful economic engine driving growth in Prince Edward County.
County council has not always grasped the significance of the investment by the early winegrowers and those who have followed. Too often, it has been pre-occupied by the pains that accompany growth and dismissive of the sector’s impact.
That view is changing.
At a council meeting last night, Councillor Bill Roberts tabled a motion to support and acknowledge the vital role these entrepreneurs are playing in creating a vibrant and exciting economic sector for our special community.
The motion goes on to recognize the Terroir event, along with the role that such investors and entrepreneurs in the wine, specialty foods and agri-tourism sectors play in Prince Edward County.
“Council extends their appreciation and support the ideas and energy that these individuals and events put to work in the County—and wishes Terroir every continued success,” read Roberts motion.
It won’t protect against another late season frost, but it is an extremely important signal that the County’s wine sector is at last understood, appreciated and perhaps even embraced by the folks guiding our local government. There is some warmth in that.
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