Henry of Pelham Winery

Wine barrel engraved with the Henry of Pelham logo at the winery.

Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery is an Ontario winery that released their first vintage in 1988. The namesake of the winery, Henry (Smith) of Pelham was an early settler in Upper Canada’s Niagara Peninsula. His father Nicholas, the first settler, was Pennsylvania Dutch and a United Empire Loyalist who sided with the crown during the American Revolution of 1776.[1]

He was forced north from his home in Pennsylvania and served as a soldier, bugle boy and Iroquois translator with Butler's Rangers during the war. After the war he was granted 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land under the Kings' Grant as were many of his 14 children.[1] This land became known as the Smith Family Community and it was his son Henry who built an inn, tavern and toll-gate along the old trail known as Pelham Road which ran across his property. When applying for his liquor license young Henry signed his name "Henry of Pelham", winking at the fact that the recent British Prime Minister was Sir Henry Pelham. This became Henry's nom de plume and the name of the winery more than a century after he planted his first vineyards to native species of grapes.

History

Henry of Pelham Baco noir

In 1984 Paul Speck (Sr.), an educator who was originally from Niagara but lived in Toronto, and his wife Bobbi (Barbara) Speck, a book editor, enlisted their three teen and pre-teen sons Paul, Matthew and Daniel to remove the original vineyards and replant by shovel on the newly contoured, under-drained hills along the Short Hills Bench and start the process of becoming a wine producer. Henry of Pelham is one of two wineries located in the Short Hills Bench appellation, though there are numerous other wineries who source fruit from the many independent vineyards located in the same.

Grape varieties and wine styles

In the 1980s there were only a few estate wineries dedicated to producing premium wines made from 100% Ontario-grown grapes. The winery was a founding member, in 1989, of the regions' appellation of origin system the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA). The winery's focus is on Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc for the whites, and Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blends for the reds. They are also well known for their Baco Noir.[1] Riesling and Cabernet Franc icewine along with their well-regarded Cuvee Catharine sparkling wines are also in their portfolio.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 C. Fallis, editor The Encyclopedic Atlas of Wine pg 125 Global Book Publishing 2006 ISBN 1-74048-050-3
  2. ↑ J. Gordon (ed) Opus Vino pg 133, DK Publishing New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-7566-6751-1
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