Vineyard discovery tour

New walking trail at Broken Stone Winery

Many of the guests who visit Broken Stone Winery on Closson Road are very curious about the whole process of winemaking, from the growing of the grapes to the final bottling of the wine, and owners Tim and Micheline Keupfer are more than happy to satisfy that curiosity. Tim and Micheline took advantage of a partnership with RTO 9, a regional tourism organization funded by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism Culture and Gaming, to create a trail around the perimeter of the winery with a number of information stations that explain various aspects of the winery’s operation through the four seasons of the year. “We were so lucky to take part in a partnership through RTO 9, and they matched 50 per cent of the cost of the signage, the content and the art work,” said Micheline. “We’re very happy to educate people who come to visit.” The new trail covers about a kilometre around the perimeter of the vineyard, and about half of it is well shaded by mature trees, making for a pleasant summertime walk. Signage at various points explain the types of grapes being grown, the vineyard tasks at various parts of the season, and the vine lifecycle from bud break to ripening and harvest and then to covering the vines for protection during the winter.

Tim and Micheline bought the vineyard in 2009, at which time there was one and a half acres of pinot noir vines that had been planted the previous year. They now have seven and a half acres of vines of pinot noir, cabernet franc, pinot gris, chardonnay and pinot meunier. Until last year, they also managed 25 acres of vines at By Chadsey’s Cairns, but this year they decided to concentrate on their own winery. Micheline said that the vines are in fabulous shape, and are leafing out nicely after a cool and rainy spring. She is looking forward to an October harvest, with this year’s vintage of white wines available next summer, and the reds available towards the end of 2026 after aging in French oak barrels. In addition to wine tastings and purchases by the bottle, the winery offers Neapolitan-style wood oven baked pizza, and live music on weekends.

Last Saturday, Tim and Micheline officially opened the trail in a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Hillier councillor Chris Braney, and featuring a remote broadcast from County FM’s Mike Farrell. Micheline led the inaugural walk along the trail, accompanied by a number of guests and the vineyard dog, Karma. She spoke about the types of grapes and the wines that they produce. One of the early season tasks is “deleafing” the vines, to improve air circulation and provide more sunlight to the ripening grapes. It’s a balancing act between sun exposure and keeping enough foliage to provide nutrients to the grapes. During the first few years, Micheline had the slightly romantic notion of using sheep to help with the task, as she had heard they would happily eat the grape leaves off the vine. She bought a flock of babydoll sheep, but they were not particularly efficient, and would graze wherever they pleased. They now contentedly munch on grass and clover in the meadow, and their fleece yields wool for knitting projects. The deleafing was initially done by hand after the recalcitrant sheep were put to pasture, but they now use a more efficient deleafing machine. Micheline pointed out the winery’s sparkling wine vineyard, planted with over 5,000 vines of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, the three traditional varieties used in champagne. Tour participants christened the trail with a toast using the winery’s 2021 Amour sparkling wine. She noted that the winery is using regenerative farming practises. The sheep and chicken manure, grape skins and seeds, and household food waste are all composted and returned to the soil as fertilizer.

The walking trail is open during winery hours. Broken Stone Winery is located at 524 Closson Road.